VANCOUVER -- Washington State Senator Don Benton, R-Vancouver, has entered the race for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by three-term incumbent, Democrat Patty Murray of Seattle.
Benton, of Vancouver, is serving his fourth term as State Senator.
He said he’s been looking at the possibility of entering the Republican primary for the last three weeks. He made up his mind earlier this week.
Sen. Benton describes the other candidates in the GOP primary as “six guys who have never been elected to anything.” He said he’s already hired some of the people who helped Massachusetts State Senator Scott Brown win a U.S. Senate race last month.
Sen. Benton made his announcement at the Clark County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner at the Vancouver Hilton.
Sen. Murray is one of the most liberal members of the U.S. Senate, where she is serving her third six-year term.
She sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee, as well as on the Veterans’ Affairs, Health, Budget and Rules committees. She was a Washington State Senator from 1989 to 1983 and a Shoreline School Board member from 1985 to 1989.
