Patty Murray heading back to Senate

Washington voters gave Sen. Patty Murray a fifth term Tuesday, making her the state’s third-longest serving member of the Senate.

Murray, a Democrat who is a former state legislator and former kindergarten teacher, was enroute to victory over Chris Vance, a former state Republican chairman, legislator and King County councilman. Murray earned 61 percent of ballots cast through Tuesday.

Murray had campaigned on remaining close to state residents despite her years in Washington, D.C., pointing to her trips home almost every weekend and work on veterans, children’s and women’s issues. Vance tried to paint Murray as a D.C. insider who was part of the partisan gridlock that has stalled legislation in Congress. That argument was undercut by Murray’s work on a budget deal with Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., and on changes to No Child Left Behind with Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.