PASCO, Wash. (AP) - A Republican from Pasco, Washington, announced Wednesday that she will challenge Democrat Patty Murray for a U.S. Senate seat next year.
Tiffany Smiley is a nurse who has been an advocate for wounded veterans.
In an online statement, she said her goals were fighting for Washington jobs, improving the state’s quality of life and defending Washington’s veterans.
Smiley grew up on a farm and married her high school sweetheart.
Her husband Scotty was wounded by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2005, causing him to permanently lose sight in both eyes. Smiley said her family had to battle the federal government for help.
Murray became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Washington in 1992, and has been re-elected four times. She has been a part of Democratic leadership since 2001, and has served as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Conference Secretary, and as Assistant Democratic Leader.
Murray is currently the sixth-most senior member of the Senate, the third-most senior Democrat, and the dean of Washington’s congressional delegation.
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