Blog #4: Electoral Connection Application

 The Electoral Connection & Patty Murray

The Electoral Connection by David R. Mayhew describes three kinds of activities that Congress members must take in order to achieve their goal of getting elected. Listed below are definitions from the three categories, then there will be examples of how Patty Murray has engaged in these activities.

Advertising

Mayhew said that advertising is "any effort to disseminate one's name among constituents in such a fashion as to create a favorable image but in messages having little or no issue content" (Mayhew 49).

Position Taking

Mayhew said that position taking is "the public enunciation of a judgmental statement on anything likely to be of interest to political actors" (Mayhew 61).

Credit Claiming

Mayhew said that credit claiming is "to generate a belief in a relevant political actor (or actors) that one person is personally responsible for causing the government, or some unit thereof, to do something that the actor (or actors) considers desirable" (Mayhew 53).

Social Media

(The new way to advertise, position take, and credit claim!)

Instagram: 

- 13.3k followers

- Mix of promoting her stances and image through different mediums (video + photos + captions)

- Uses platform to connect with voters

- Features stories of every day Washingtonians & connects to legislation she has passed

Example of Advertising! (Name recognition since Patty is with former First Lady and Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton)

Twitter:

- 478.6k followers

- Uses platform to promote her stances more concisely

- Uses platform to reply to constituents and other senators directly

- Mostly text, some photos as well

Example of Position Taking!

Facebook:

- 287k followers

- Discusses current issues and stance highly in depth, posts much longer

- More links to news articles that pertains to her stances & what she has done

- More engagement with comments

Example of Credit Claiming!

These mediums demonstrate that Patty Murray is trying to connect to different audiences & advertise, position take, and credit claim in as many ways as possible through social media. It seems that she is most popular on Twitter, possibly because people may only want to see a brief overview of her stances. It seems she uses all platforms to promote her stances and image to get re-elected and to inform constituents on what she is working towards.

Travel

(Position Taking + Credit Claiming)

Travel is used primarily to speak to constituents directly on the stances that are important to the candidate. For Sen. Patty Murray, she "comes home almost every weekend, travels across Washington state listening to her constituents, and then goes back to DC." This ensures Murray a way to connect to people face-to-face, mainly using the approach of position taking and credit claiming to engage constituents with her work.

Murray Speaking to Young Constituents

Press Releases Issued

(Credit Claiming and Position Taking)

Throughout her time in the Senate, Patty Murray has issued many press releases. These allow voters to find out what Murray has done for them and what issues she supports. Mainly, press releases are examples of position taking, but can also have aspects of credit claiming.

Here is a list of a few recent press releases:

• Senator Murray applauding President Biden for his Supreme Court judge nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson (Position Taking)
• Senator Murray taking a stance against Russia's actions in Ukraine (Position Taking)
• Senator Murray taking credit for keeping ferries moving during the pandemic (Credit Claiming)
• Here is a 24-minute video on this if you want further information... 
  
  

Franking/Mailing

Franking/mailing is also an important piece in advertising. It allows Congress members to send out mail to their constituents with their name on it rather than with a stamp. It usually promotes what they have done for the constituent and the importance of voting in the election. 

In regards to Murray, I cannot find much on her habits relating to franking/mailing. I would assume that she does use this to advertise herself to voters.

Bills Sponsor/Co-Sponsor

(Credit Claiming)

Murray has sponsored and co-sponsored many bills within her time in the Senate (1998-2022). The more bills that she sponsors or co-sponsors will allow her to credit claim more frequently if they are passed, or even if they are not passed. 

Below are bills that Murray has sponsored/co-sponsored in the 2022 cycle:

• Women's Retirement Protection Act (Sponsor)
• Protecting the Right to Organize Act (Sponsor)
• Child Care for Working Families Act (Sponsor)
• Capping Prescription Costs Act of 2021 (Co-Sponsor)
• Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2021 (Co-Sponsor)
• Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (Co-Sponsor)

Blog #3: Electoral Circumstances

 Will Patty Murray Serve a Sixth Term?

Last Election: 2016

General Election:

• Chris Vance (Republican) vs. Patty Murray (Democrat)
  

  

  
  
  
  

Washington Primary Election:

• Eric John Makus (Republican)
• Phil Cornell (Democrat)
• Scott Nazarino (Republican)
• Mike Luke (Libertarian)
  

Margin of Victory:

• Murray won with 59% of the vote- 1,913,979 Washingtonian voters
• Vance lost with 41% of the vote- 1,329,338 Washingtonian voters

In total 3,243,317 Washingtonians voted, meaning that only about 42% of the population voted in this election.

Notable storyline:

"Murray Overwhelms Vance, Both Move on in the Senate Race" 

    This article discusses how Murray had a big advantage over Vance. Most counties were on board to vote-in Murray once again (33 out of 39). Murray also had a very large advantage when it came to acquiring contributions for her campaign compared to Vance, with her amount coming to $11.4 million and his coming in at $293,000. 

Since we now know that Murray won the election, we can assume that the amount of money she received can demonstrate her overwhelming support in the state and that she may used that money to advertise herself more than her opponents.

Re-election Status

Seeking Re-election?

- Murray is seeking re-election for 2022!

Primary election outlook:

- Patty Murray (Democrat & very likely to be selected and move onto the general election)

- Tiffany Smiley (Republican & very likely to be selected and move onto the general election)

- Justin Greywolf (Independent)

- Robert Kirby (Democrat)

-  Nicolaus Sleister (Democrat)

General election outlook:

Most likely the general election will be between Murray and Smiley. 

Since Washington pre-dominantly votes Democrat, it appears very likely that Murray will be voted in for a sixth term in office.

Although, according to this article and video below,

    47% of Washington voters do not want Murray to run again using data from a poll that interviews 650 Washington adults. They believe that she has ran too long in the Senate, and that possibly a new candidate should be in the Senate. The article goes on to describe why Smiley is running for Senate, and then also displays how Murray will likely still be elected due to the things she has accomplished while she was in office.

Current Prediction

According to 270toWin, the prediction for Murray is that she is safe to be elected for a sixth term. Although, there is talk about electing someone new, so could be more of a lean.

2020 Vote

- Washington voted predominantly for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 with 57.97%

- Additionally, the governor of Washington, Democrat Jay Inslee, won with 56.6% of the vote

This could be great news for Murray, as Washington tends to vote Democrat!

Campaign Finance Status

From 2017-2022, Murray has raised close to $10 million dollars and spent $6.6 million of it for her campaign.

Bill Gates: Microsoft Founder
Jeff Bezos: Amazon Founder 

Her top contributors?

- Amazon with $71,000

- Microsoft with $52,000

Her top industries?

- Retired with $1.3 million

- Lawyers with $413,000

Major Issues

Murray's top issues include:

- Education, as she was a former educator

- Veteran's Affairs, as she was the daughter of a WWII Veteran

- Health Care, believes in wanting everyone to afford health care

- Environment, since Washington State is on the frontlines of the climate crisis

Mount Rainier in Washington :)

Blog #2: District Profile

Patty Murray Represents Washington State!

Population/Major Cities

Population: 7,705,281 

Seattle, the biggest city in Washington

Major Cities:

1. Seattle (787,995) 

2. Spokane (230,328)

3.Tacoma (222,975) 

4. Vancouver (189,191)

5. Bellevue (151,464)

Demographics

Racial Makeup:

• White Alone: 66.6%
• Black Alone: 4.0%
• Asian Alone: 9.5%
• American Indian and Alaska Native Alone: 1.6%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Alone: 0.8%
• Some Other Race Alone: 6.7%
• Two or More Races: 10.9%
• Hispanic or Latino: 13.7%

The racial makeup in Washington is very similar to the United States racial makeup. Although, there is a higher percentage of people who identify as Asian and a lower percentage of people who identify as black and Hispanic or Latino. Patty Murray identifying as white means she identifies as the same racial makeup as more than 60% of Washington State.

Religious Makeup:

• Christian (Protestant): 61%
• Christian (Catholic): 17%
• Christian (Mormon): 3% 

  

  Since Patty Murray is Catholic, she only aligns with 17% of Washingtonians in regards to religion

  
  
• Jehovah's Witness: 2%
• Other Faiths: 3%
• Jewish: 1%
• Muslim: < 1%
• Buddhist:  1%
• Hindu: 1%

*These are some of the figures given

Income:

• The median income is $38,041.
• The median household income is  $78,687
• Poverty rate: 9.8%

According to USA Today, the cost of living in Washington State is higher than the national average. 

Age:

• People who are 18+: 78.2%
• There is a higher adult population by 10% compared to ten years ago

Rural v. Urban:

• According to the chart below, there is  9 urban counties and 30 rural counties

Major Industries and Companies

Companies:

• Amazon.com
• Costco Wholesale
• UPS
• Starbucks Coffee
• Boeing
  
• Microsoft
• Nordstrom

Industries:

• Key exporter for transportation equipment
• Aerospace industry
• Crucial to the nation's food and agriculture industry
• 70% of the world's apples
• Leading in milk, potato, and cattle production

 Party Affiliation

2020 Election Map

• Washington primarily votes in Democrats in the Presidential elections
• 2020 Election
• 58.8% Biden (2,369,612)
• 38.8% Trump (1,584,651)

This demonstrates how Murray may have the upper-hand running as a senator since the state as a whole tends to vote for Democrats.

 COVID/Economic Concerns

Covid-19 has effected the Washington labor market with different protocols in place and lockdowns that made going to work difficult for many.

• Trends have shown a steady increase in employment since the pandemic initially began
• Currently 3.8 million employed
• The unemployment rate has also steadily decreased since the pandemic initially began
• Currently down to 3.4%
• Due to trends looking better since 2020, hopefully the economy will continue to grow and unemployment will continue to decrease

References:

https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/washington-population-change-between-census-decade.html (primary)

https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/609003.pdf (primary)

https://esd.wa.gov/labormarketinfo/covid-19-economic-data (primary)

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/washington (secondary)

https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/cities/washington (secondary)

https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/washington/ (secondary)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-elections/washington-results (secondary)

Blog #1: Patty Murray Profile

Patty Murray Biography

Patty Murray in the flesh!!

Age: 71!

Upbringing: Patty was born and raised in Bothell, Washington. She grew up with her parents and six siblings. She's also a twin! Patty's father served in WW2 and unfortunately was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, leaving it the family in hard times as her father was not able to work anymore due to this condition. Because of government programs, like the VA and federal grants and loans, her mother, herself, and siblings were all able to get a college education.

Education: Patty attended Washington State University and got a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education. During her time in college, she organized a petition to allow women to wear jeans to the dining hall and worked with the local VA.

Career: After college, she taught at the Shoreline Community College preschool program and taught also the community college. She decided to get into politics once her state was about to close down a preschool program, and as a mom she found this unacceptable.

Family: Murray is married to husband Rob Murray and has two children, Sara and Randy.

Religious Affiliation: Murray identifies as Roman Catholic.

Tenure in the Senate

Murray has served on the Senate since January 3rd, 1993. Her current term will end on January 3rd, 2023. Although, Murray is seeking re-election and hopes to continue her time in the Senate.

Patty Murray 1993

Previous Elected Experience

• Served on the Shoreline school board from 1983-1989.
• She was elected to the Washington State Senate from 1989-1993 and served one term.

Fun Facts

• From 1990-1993, she served as the Democratic Whip of the Washington State Senate
• Was known as just a "mom in tennis shoes"
• Washington state's first ever female senator
• Her father ran a five and ten cent store
• She's a twin!

Committee/Subcommittee Assignments

Patty has been elected to the following committees and subcommittees. Her background in education is one reason as to why she was put on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Also, her father being a World War 2 Veteran is why she was selected to be on the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

• Appropriations (Defense; Energy-Water; Homeland Security; Labor-HHS-Education - Chairperson; Military Construction-VA; Transportation-HUD)
• Budget
• Chair of Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
• Veterans' Affairs

Notable Legislation

Due to her long background in the Senate, Murray has been a sponsor and co-sponsor of many bills in the Senate. Below will be listed a few bills that she has sponsored and have been passed and signed into law. All of the following bills have had co-sponsors that are a mix of Democrats and Republicans.

• Consent and Approval to Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact (1997, 8 co-sponsors)
• Poison Center Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008 (25 co-sponsors)
• Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act  (2009, 23 co-sponsors)
• Veteran's Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2011 (14 co-sponsors)

ADA and Interest Group Scores

There are many interests groups listed and percentages related to her support. I have listed a few that are important to her campaign goals (Education, Women's Rights, Environment) and a few that seemed surprising (Her religion and conservative groups).

• ADA Score: In 2020, Murray received a score of 85%
• In 2019, 90%
• In 2018, 100%
• Trend is a decreasing score, possibly from the pandemic?
• NARAL Pro-Choice: In 2020, 100%
• Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund: In 2020, 100%
• ACLU: In 2020, 100%
• Conservative Review: In 2021, 4% 
• Americans for Prosperity: In 2019-2020, 25%
• American Federation of Teachers: In 2011-2012, 100%
• League of Conservation Votes: In 2020, 92%
• Catholic Advocate: In 2012, 0%
• NORML: In 2022, 75%

Positions in Leadership

• Murray is 6th Ranked Senate Democrat
• Chair of Health Education and Labor Pensions
• Chairperson of Labor, HHS, Education on the Appropriations Committee
• Democratic Whip of Washington State Senate

References

https://www.murray.senate.gov/biography/ (Primary)

https://www.congress.gov/member/patty-murray/M001111 (Primary)

https://ballotpedia.org/Patty_Murray (Secondary)

https://media.cq.com/members/522?rel=memberLink (Secondary)

https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/53358/patty-murray(Secondary)