Parvati Purandare

**Parvati Purandare** (born April 8, 1967) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior U.S. Senator from Washington since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as Mayor of Seattle from 2007 to 2009, and a member of the Seattle City Council, representing the 1st district, from 2001 to 2007.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland to an Indian family, Purandare was raised in Bethesda, Maryland and graduated from Holton-Arms School in 1985. After graduating, Purandare moved to Seattle, Washington to attend the University of Washington, graduating with a degree in economics in 1989. She subsequently returned to the East Coast, moving to New Haven, Connecticut to attend Yale Law School at Yale University, graduating with a law degree in 1992. After graduating, Purandare returned to Seattle, where she began working as an attorney. Purandare left her law career in 2001, in order to begin her political career.

Purandare began her political career in 2000, being elected to the Seattle City Council, representing the 1st district. She left office during her second term, after being elected Mayor of Seattle. She took office as mayor in 2007. Purandare served as mayor for two years, after being appointed by Governor Allison Moore to fill the Senate seat left vacant by Kevin Blake in 2009. Purandare completed his term in 2010, and was later reelected to subsequent terms in 2010 and 2016.

Purandare has been theorized as a possible future President of the United States. She has been identified as one of the leaders of the progressive movement.

## Early life and family

Purandare was born on April 8, 1967 in Baltimore, Maryland to parents Dr. Pranav Purandare (born 1934) and Dr. Apoorva Shirwadkar (born 1935). She was named after Parvati, the Hindu goddess of fertility, love, beauty, marriage, children, and devotion. Her parents both came to the United States from Maharashtra, India in the 1950s to attend medical school, which is where they met. Pranav worked as a cardiovascular surgeon, while Apoorva was a gynecologist, obstetrician, and medical professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences.

Purandare comes from a Deshastha Brahmin family. She was raised speaking Marathi, Hindi, and English, and can also speak Kannada. When she was three years old, the family left Baltimore and settled in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Maryland, where she was raised. Purandare grew up as an only child.

## Education and law career

Growing up in Bethesda, Maryland, Purandare attended both public and private schooling. She began her education in 1972, attending a public elementary school. In 1977, Purandare transferred to Holton-Arms School, an independent 3–12 girls school. She began high school at Holton-Arms in 1981, where she was a high academic achiever. While in high school, Purandare was president of her school's chapter of the National Honor Society, a state champion in track and field, and her class president. She graduated from high school in 1985.

After graduating from high school, Purandare moved to Seattle, Washington to attend the University of Washington. She majored in economics, and received her bachelor's degree in 1989. After graduating, Purandare moved to New Haven, Connecticut to attend Yale Law School at Yale University, graduating with a law degree in 1992. She returned to Seattle after her graduation from law school, and was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association. She subsequently began working as an attorney, and also frequently freelanced on Democratic political campaigns. She left her law career in 2001, in order to enter politics.

## Political positions

*Main article: Political positions of Parvati Purandare.*

## Personal life

Purandare began dating small business owner Kenneth Griffin in 1995, after meeting at a bar in Seattle, Washington. In 1998, they had two children together: fraternal twins Lily and Leanna, born  (1998-07-22) July 22, 1998 (age 25). Purandare and Griffin became engaged shortly after Purandare became pregnant, and later married in 1999. Lily and Leanna served as Purandare's flower girls.

After their marriage, they bought a house in the Fairmount Park neighborhood of West Seattle. After being appointed to the United States Senate in 2009, they sold their Seattle home and bought a four-bedroom house in the Normandy Park, Washington suburb of Seattle, and a five-bedroom house in Purandare's hometown of Bethesda, Maryland. Purandare's parents live with them in their Bethesda home.

Purandare is multi-lingual; she speaks fluent English, Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, and Spanish. She was raised irreligiously but identifies with Hindu culture; she has referred to herself as a Hindu, although has stated she does not practice the religion. Purandare is solely a citizen of the United States, and has never held Indian citizenship.