Freshman Introductions: Chris Murphy and Mazie Hirono

Chris Murphy (D-CT)

Longtime former Democrat turned Independent Joe Lieberman retired instead of seeking reelection. The republican candidate again was multimillionaire Linda McMahon; she lost in 2010 to Richard Blumenthal although he was vastly outspent by her. The Democrats choose Chris Murphy. Murphy went on to defeat McMahon receiving 55% of the vote. At the age of 39, he is the youngest member of the US Senate. He was born, raised and educated in Connecticut receiving a JD from Uconn. His first political office was a seat on a local Zoning Commission in 1997 from there he quickly proved not only ambitious but highly capable getting elected to the State House, State Senate and finally the US House in  2006. In that race, he easily defeated (56% to 44%) long time Rep. Congresswomen Nancy Johnson, who had been in congress since 1983. As a congressman, Murphy had a solid liberal record scoring well from most liberal organization and issue groups. He has fought for ethics reforms, promised to help pass filibuster reform, co-wrote the HR 3200 (Obamacare), and has proposed many bills that came as results of problems from his home district. For example, after a brutal home invasion/murder, he suggested making Home Invasion a federal crime. In the 2012 election, McMahon played hairball bringing up Murphy’s troubled financial history. He had been foreclosed upon because he forgot to pay his mortgage. He, however, refinanced to advert the issue. McMahon tried insinuating the reason he was able to was he had to support the bank in congress; it was a so called a “special interest loan.”

Mazie Hirono (D-HW)

Mazie Hirono becomes the first female Senator from Hawaii, the first Senator born in Japan, and the nation's first Buddhist elected to the Senate. The seat was vacated by 88 year old Daniel Akaka, who decided not to run for re-election to a fourth full term. Before entering politics, she practiced law in Honolulu; she is a graduate of Georgetown Law School. In 1980, Hirono was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives where she served until 1995. In 1994, Hirono entered statewide politics when she ran for Lieutenant Governor. She easily defeated her primary challenger to win the Democratic nomination. She won the General Election with just 37% of the vote in crowded four candidate field. Hirono ran for re-election in 1998 and defeated Republican State Senator Stan Koki 5,254 votes. In 2002, Hirono narrowly won the Democratic primary for Governor defeating State Representative Ed Case by 2,613 votes. She went on to lose to Linda Lingle in the General Election. After a four year political hiatus, Hirono ran for Hawaii's 2^nd Congressional District being vacated by Ed Case, who she had beaten in the 2002 Democratic gubernatorial primary. In what was another close election, she bested 9 other Democrats to win the primary by a mere 845 votes. She easily won the General and was elected twice more in 2008 and 2010. In this year’s Senate election, she defeated two all too familiar opponents: Ed Case and Linda Lingle, but easily defeated them both. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced in December that Hirono will serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee.