Murray wins Realtors’ backing

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray scored a big win recently when the influential 18,000-member Washington Association of Realtors endorsed her for re-election, calling her “a tireless advocate for housing affordability and the American dream of home ownership.”

Washington Realtors President Bill Riley praised Murray for her awareness of the state of the housing market and its importance to Washington’s economic recovery. He noted that with the endorsement comes the financial support of the state’s largest political action committee.

Murray cited her work to ensure that the federal stimulus included support for housing construction jobs, expanded affordable housing programs and redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes. In addition, more than 30,000 Washington home buyers were able to use the $8,000 first-time tax credit.

Meanwhile, Sen. Don Benton, who is running to unseat Murray, issued a statement saying the three-term senator will be to blame for job cuts at the Boeing Co. because of her vote for health care reform.

“Sen. Murray has put a partisan agenda before the will of the people and has put more jobs at risk by passing this health care bill,” Benton said in a statement.

The Boeing Co. announced last week that it will take a charge of $150 million against earnings for the first quarter of 2010 due to the health care overhaul legislation. Several other large U.S. companies plan to take similar accounting charges because of the reform bill.