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Portrait of Maria Cantwell← All people
Senator · Washington · Democrat

Maria Cantwell

U.S. Senator from Washington

Maria Cantwell is a U.S. Senator from Washington, a Democrat who has held the seat since January 3, 2001. She previously served in the Washington state House and for one term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

See the full voting record
Public record

Office and sources

Office
U.S. Senator from Washington
Representing
Washington
Public role
Legislative branch
Record includes
Roll-call votes, source-linked checks, statements, and coverage
In office since
January 3, 2001
Education
Miami University of Ohio (B.A., 1980)
  • U.S. House History, Art & Archives: CANTWELL, Maria E. ↗
  • U.S. Senate: States in the Senate, Washington senators ↗
  • Senator Maria Cantwell: About Maria ↗
  • U.S. Senate: Committee assignments of the 119th Congress ↗
  • Congress.gov: member profile ↗
OverviewBiographyVotesIssuesClaim checks
Background

Biography

Maria Cantwell was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 13, 1958, and attended public schools there. She earned a bachelor's degree from Miami University of Ohio in 1980 and worked as a public relations consultant. Her Senate biography says she later worked in Washington's technology industry.

Cantwell served as a Washington state representative from 1987 to 1993. She was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House and served one term, from January 3, 1993, to January 3, 1995, losing her bid for reelection. She was elected to the Senate on November 7, 2000, took her seat on January 3, 2001, and was reelected in 2006, 2012, 2018 and 2024.

She chaired the Committee on Indian Affairs and then the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship during the 113th Congress, and chaired the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the 117th and 118th Congresses. She is now that committee's ranking member.

Committees

  • Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (Ranking)
  • Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Committee on Finance
  • Committee on Indian Affairs
  • Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
  • Joint Committee on Taxation

Sources for this biography

  • U.S. House History, Art & Archives: CANTWELL, Maria E. ↗
  • U.S. Senate: States in the Senate, Washington senators ↗
  • Senator Maria Cantwell: About Maria ↗
  • U.S. Senate: Committee assignments of the 119th Congress ↗
  • Congress.gov: member profile ↗

Drafted by The Baseline's automated desk from the sources listed and checked against them on Sep 19, 2026; no other source was used. Spot an error? Request a correction.

119th Congress

The voting record at a glance

Every Senate roll-call position in the current Congress that Voteview associates with this member. Data current through Oct 1, 2026.

Recorded votes
915
Participation
99.8%
Yea / nay
286 / 627
Latest vote
Sep 30, 2026
Recorded positions

Latest roll-call votes

Position, question, result, tally, and source are shown together so readers can inspect the record without leaving the page.

DatePositionRoll callIssueResult
Sep 30, 2026NayPN1129On the NominationKeith Sonderling, of Florida, to be Secretary of LaborOfficial roll call ↗NominationsNomination Confirmed47–41
Sep 30, 2026NayPN1129On the Cloture MotionKeith Sonderling, of Florida, to be Secretary of LaborOfficial roll call ↗Other floor businessCloture Motion Agreed to53–47
Sep 30, 2026NayHR9340On Cloture on the Motion to ProceedA bill to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to establish a Federal standard relating to the recovery of the full, incremental costs of upgrades that serve large-load customers, and for other purposes.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessCloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected57–43
Sep 30, 2026NayHR7008On Cloture on the Motion to ProceedA bill to amend chapter 131 of title 5 to require certain restrictions on stocks for Members of Congress and their spouses and dependents, and for other purposes.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessCloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected53–47
Sep 29, 2026YeaSRES852On the Motion to DischargeA resolution requesting information on Israel's human rights practices pursuant to section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.Bill record ↗Official roll call ↗International AffairsMotion to Discharge Rejected47–51
Sep 29, 2026YeaSJRES197On the Motion to ProceedA joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027; and Basic Health Program".Bill record ↗Official roll call ↗HealthMotion to Proceed Rejected48–51
Sep 28, 2026YeaS4668On Passage of the BillA bill to protect the name, image, and likeness rights of, and provide protections for, student athletes and to promote fair competition among intercollegiate athletics, and for other purposes.Official roll call ↗EducationBill Passed77–22
Sep 28, 2026NayS4668On the AmendmentTo establish certain standards with respect to coaches of varsity sports teams.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Rejected47–52
Sep 28, 2026YeaS4668On the AmendmentTo increase the limitation on funding for post-eligibility insurance and catastrophic injury for student athletes.Official roll call ↗HealthAmendment Rejected49–50
Sep 28, 2026NayS4668On the AmendmentTo limit price increases for college athletics tickets.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Rejected42–54
Sep 28, 2026NayS4668On the AmendmentTo improve the bill.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Rejected1–94
Sep 28, 2026YeaS4668On the AmendmentTo modify the provision relating to the relationship of this Act to existing law.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Agreed to96–1
Browse all 915 recorded votes →
Patterns in the record

Vote leaning and issue mix

These are descriptive measures of roll-call behavior, not judgments about truthfulness, effectiveness, or constituent approval.

Vote leaningLeans liberal
-0.308
More liberalCenterMore conservative

Based on 906 roll-call observations in the 119th Congress. This is Voteview DW-NOMINATE, an estimate from roll-call behavior—not a Baseline rating. Read the method ↗ or see our evidence rules.

Issue record

Where roll calls fall

Other floor business254
Nominations125
Crime and law enforcement116
Economics and public finance110
Armed forces and national security85
Health57
Environmental protection48

Policy areas come from Voteview’s Congressional Research Service fields, with plain-language fallback categories when no CRS label is supplied.

Source: Voteview members’ votes ↗. Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal, Boche, Rudkin, and Sonnet (2026), Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database.

The Baseline desk

Published claim checks

Claim checks are reviewed editorial work. They are separate from the voting-data summaries above.

No published checks yet

When The Baseline verifies and publishes a check on a claim by Maria Cantwell, it will appear here with its evidence and primary sources. An empty record is not a rating.

Keep exploring

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