Cantwell, Maria (1958-…), has been a member of the United States Senate since 2001. Cantwell, a Democrat, represents the state of Washington. Prior to her election as senator, Cantwell was an executive for a technology company.
Cantwell was born in Indianapolis on Oct. 13, 1958. Her father, Paul, was active in Democratic Party politics. Maria received a bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Ohio in 1980. After graduation, she worked as a public relations consultant. She was elected to the Washington state House of Representatives in 1986 and served until 1993. In 1992, she was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where she served one term. After she lost her bid for reelection in 1994, Cantwell went to work for the company that later became RealNetworks. RealNetworks, Inc., is a Seattle-based company that produces audio and video technology for the Internet.
Beginning with her 2000 Senate race, Cantwell became known for not accepting campaign contributions from political action committees. She spent nearly $10 million of her own money to finance her 2000 campaign, in which she beat the incumbent, Senator Slade Gorton, by about 2,000 votes. Cantwell was reelected in 2006, 2012, and 2018. In the Senate, Cantwell has worked on energy, tax, and trade issues. She has also supported measures to protect the environment and expand the availability of affordable health care.
