Cantwell: From high-tech maven to populist fighter
2006-10-16
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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rss feedAs a newly elected senator, Maria Cantwell arrived in the Capitol in 2001 as a high-tech executive who understood the "New Economy" and the benefits of a wired society.
Six years later, the Washington state Democrat has emerged as a populist fighter, taking on Enron, Big Oil and even a lion of the Senate - Alaska's Ted Stevens - who wanted to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Cantwell, who faces insurance executive Mike McGavick in next month's election, struggled in her early Senate years, often finding herself in the shadow of the state's senior senator, fellow Democrat Patty Murray.
With just one term in House before her upset win over Republican Slade Gorton, Cantwell faced a steep learning curve on statewide issues.
She also had massive debt. After largely self-financing her 2000 campaign, she spent much of her time raising money, becoming one of the most prolific fundraisers in the Senate in the process. She had raised more than $16 million as of Aug. 30, a record in Washington state politics.
Political scientist James Thurber of American University calls Cantwell a workhorse rather than a show horse - a common way to distinguish among senators - and says that even now, Cantwell has a low national profile.
Still, Thurber called Cantwell an effective senator who is serious, and attributed her lack of star power largely to her status as a freshman senator in the minority party.
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