Maria Elaine Cantwell (born October 13, 1958) is the junior United States Senator from Washington, first elected in 2000. A Democrat, she previously served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993 and the United States House of Representatives from Washington's 1st congressional district from 1993 to 1995, after which she worked as an executive for RealNetworks. She is Washington's second female senator, after Patty Murray.