SEATTLE (AP) — Democrat Patty Murray is Washington's senior U.S. senator, and she has mostly coasted to re-election over four terms.

Her challenger this November, Republican Chris Vance, hopes his message of fiscal discipline and social moderation will resonate with voters long turned off by the GOP. Vance says Murray is part of the "establishment" and is responsible for congressional gridlock and the failure to address deficit spending and shore up Social Security and Medicare.

Murray, first elected in 1992, dismisses his criticism and points to her work with Republicans on the budget and education as examples of how she can accomplish things in a tough environment. Murray is one of the state's longest-serving senators and has steadily risen in power in the nation's capital.

Statewide races are traditionally difficult for Washington state's Republican Party, which hasn't won a U.S. Senate race since 1992.

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