Out Gay State Senator Ed Murray Chosen by Dems as Majority Leader of Washington Senate

Senator Ed Murray will become the second openly LGBT person to lead a state senate chamber after being chosen as majority leader of the Washington state senate late yesterday, the Victory Fund reports:

Murray, 57, was first elected to the Senate in 2006 after serving 11 years in the Wash. House of Representatives. He was a leading voice in favor of passage of the state’s marriage equality bill, which voters affirmed last week.

“We have work to do in Olympia – prioritizing education, creating jobs for the middle class, and ensuring Washingtonians have the health care they need. And one of our challenges in a closely divided chamber is to ensure that the Senate is able to fulfill its obligation to govern the state, in tandem with Gov.-elect Jay Inslee and the House. These are not simple challenges, but they are solvable. We can find solutions that work for all of Washington,” Murray said in a release tonight.