Patty was born and raised in Bothell, Washington where she grew up with her parents and six siblings—including a twin sister. Her father managed a Main Street 5 and 10 cent store, where she worked growing up and first learned the value of strong work ethic. When Patty was a young teenager, her father—a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient—was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and in a few short years, his illness got so bad he could no longer work. Patty’s mother, who had stayed home to raise their family, had to take care of him while also working to support their family. She found some work, but it didn’t pay enough to support Patty and her six brothers and sisters—and a husband with growing medical bills. Thankfully, they lived in a country where the government didn’t just say “you’re on your own.”
Safe, efficient, and modern transportation is critical to Washington state communities and our economy. That’s why Senator Murray has worked to secure billions in federal investments toward public transportation and infrastructure so that Washington state can keep moving forward.
Senator Murray will keep pushing for investments in roads, bridges, transit, rail, airports, and ports to make sure people across Washington state can get to where they need to go—and to support the businesses that rely on this infrastructure each and every day. Ultimately, she is fighting to fix our aging infrastructure and ensure the federal government is supporting Washington state’s substantial investments in public transit to reduce emissions, increase accessibility, and mitigate congestion. Moving forward, Senator Murray is focused on ensuring the federal government implements transportation policy that makes racial and environmental justice a priority, and will work to directly remedy the historical inequities that exist – particularly around access to transit for historically underserved populations.
Central to investing in Washington state’s transportation and infrastructure are our efforts to address the climate crisis and make our state’s transportation greener. Senator Murray is pushing for investments in clean energy, like investing in electric vehicles, buses, and ferries. She’s also pushing for more investments in public transit to lessen the load of cars on our roads. Finally, she’s fighting to prioritize climate resiliency so that our roads, bridges, and other infrastructure can withstand the increasing frequency of extreme weather events we’re confronted by as a result of the ongoing climate crisis.