Maria Cantwell currently serves as a United States Senator for the State of Washington. As a respected leader – both in public service and in the private sector – Maria has always embraced the values she first learned growing up in a strong working-class family. With the help of Pell Grants, Maria was the first member of her family to graduate college. Later, a successful businesswoman in Washington's hi-tech industry, she helped build a company that created hundreds of high-paying jobs from the ground up.
Washington’s diverse landscape and waters have a significant economic impact on the state. National Park tourism in Washington state generates more than $264 million annually. The state’s coastal economy supports 148,000 jobs and produces $30 billion in economic activity each year, and Maria has fought to preserve Washington’s pristine waters and abundant fisheries. Maria is also the leading champion on ocean acidification science. Maria has continually worked to protect the health and livelihoods of Washington families and workers by holding polluters accountable for cleanup efforts at ASARCO in Pierce, Everett, Thurston, and King Counties. She has been an advocate for Hanford, ensuring a safe, efficient process for the toxic waste cleanup on the Hanford site, and protecting Hanford workers as they complete the world’s largest environmental cleanup project.