Maria Cantwell
A candidate for U.S. Senator in the 2012 Washington General Election
Party: Democrat
Age: 66
City: Seattle, Washington
Occupation: Senator
Education: Graduated from Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1977. Earned a bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1981.
Work experience: Worked as vice president of marketing and senior vice president of the consumer products division at Real Networks, a Seattle-based tech company, from 1995 to 2000.
Political experience: Elected to represent Washington’s 1st congressional district in 1992, serving one term before losing her re-election bid in 1994. Elected to the Senate in 2000 and re-elected in 2006, 2012 and 2018.
Family: Single, no children
Contact information
Race Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Maria Cantwell (D) | 1,714,271 | 60.16% |
| Michael Baumgartner (R) | 1,135,453 | 39.84% |
Related Coverage
Spin Control: Governor’s race drawing loads of out-of-state money
OLYMPIA – Close races usually mean big spending, and Washington’s gubernatorial race is no exception. Along with candidates Rob McKenna and Jay Inslee, who have a combined total of $18 million with one month left to raise and spend, outside groups have kicked in another $12 million thus far. The main sources of independent money are the Republican Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association. These are not, as the casual observer might surmise, subdivisions of the National Governors Association, an organization which arranges regular meetings at which state chief executives can, in the words of Oz, hobnob with their fellow wizards.
U.S. Senate hopeful Baumgartner endorses marijuana initiative
The Republican challenger for a Washington U.S. Senate seat endorsed a ballot measure Wednesday that would legalize marijuana for personal use in the state. State Sen. Mike Baumgartner, R-Spokane, said it was time for a new approach to the nation’s drug policy, and called Initiative 502 a “thoughtful step forward.” Time spent as an adviser to a counternarcotics team in Afghanistan convinced him that drug cartels are gaining from the United States’ approach to criminalizing marijuana for adults, he added.
Politicians hail progress on corridor
It may be an election year, but Democrats and Republicans agreed on Tuesday that completion of the northern half of the North Spokane Corridor was a bipartisan accomplishment. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, were joined by Spokane County GOP Commissioner Todd Mielke and state Rep. Andy Billig, D-Spokane. All are running for office this fall.
Spin Control: Cantwell agrees to first debate with Baumgartner
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell will debate her Republican challenger, state Sen. Mike Baumgartner, at least once this fall. The Cantwell campaign announced last week it has agreed to an Oct. 12 debate in Seattle on its public television station, which will be taped and shown on other public television stations around the state. The station and the League of Women Voters of Seattle, which are co-sponsoring the debate, will each provide a moderator.