Patty Murray ran for the U.S. Senate in 1992 as a “mom in tennis shoes,” battling the entrenched interests. But she’s grown in office, as we say:

Since 2005, lobbyists — who by definition are donors with an agenda — and their firms have given nearly $605,000 for Murray’s re-election and to M-PAC, her leadership political-action committee, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That’s more than any other single source and is a big jump from during Murray’s first term, when lobbyists ranked No. 20 among industries and sectors that donated to her campaign. She didn’t have her PAC at that time.