Internships
Senator Murray is seeking paid legislative and communications interns in our Washington, DC and constituent service interns in the Seattle, Spokane, and Vancouver state offices. Applicants should be eager to learn more about the legislative process, and want to be part of a hardworking team, dedicated to serving the people of Washington State.
**As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, all internship programs will be conducted remotely until further notice. Relocating to the DC area for DC internships is not necessary, nor is relocating to Seattle, Spokane, or Vancouver for state internships. Should you have any questions about this, please contact the appropriate intern coordinator.**
Qualifications
Students with strong ties to the state of Washington will be given preference in the application process. Interns should be interested in government and have excellent writing and research skills, a positive attitude and a willingness to complete tasks as assigned. Legislative and Constituent Service interns must be willing to work at a variety of activities, and have the ability to work independently and as part of a team. For communications interns, a communications, press, or journalism background is preferred.
Program Outline
In order to best accommodate all applicants, internship sessions are scheduled both on academic quarters and semesters (i.e., an intern could work either a semester or quarter internship, based on their academic institution’s credit system). Internships are available for school credit if approved by a college or university. We encourage DC interns - both legislative and communications - to work full time if possible (40 hours/week), though this is not a requirement. In our state offices, internships are available primarily on a part-time basis (10-15 hours/week).
Legislative Internship
The DC legislative intern experience is designed to immerse interns in all areas of a senate office and empower interns to pursue their policy interests while serving the constituents of Washington State. Legislative internships are writing intensive and successful applicants will exhibit strong written and verbal communications skills. Typical legislative intern responsibilities include: research, writing and editing responses to constituent letters and requests; attending hearings and briefings in specific legislative areas; carrying out projects in specific issue areas, and performing a variety of administrative tasks including fielding calls from constituents and leading constituent tours of the U.S. Capitol.
Constituent Service Internship
Interns have the opportunity to learn about the constituent service process and the inside operations of a United States Senate Office. Interns will be tasked with assisting in casework. Casework is the customer service part of Team Murray. Casework is how our office tries to resolve issues constituents have with federal agencies. Casework can sometimes show immediate results for the constituents and their families. Casework entails letter writing, research, constituent engagement and acting as a liaison with government agencies. Responsibilities include verbal and written communication with constituents and government agencies, research into federal government concerns, general administrative duties, and attending outreach meetings.
Communications Internship
The DC communications internship is designed for budding political communications professionals. Interest in press and communications is requisite, including (i) social media, press releases, speechwriting, op-ed writing, and media outreach (ii) an interest in public policy and (iii) a desire to learn. Excellent candidates will demonstrate strong attention to detail, work well under pressure, be self-motivated, and possess excellent written and oral communication skills. Writing and research experience preferred, policy issues will vary.
Application Procedure
Applicants may apply online using the DC application for legislative and communications internships or State application for constituent services internships. In addition to the application, the following supporting materials are required for online submission:
- Cover letter & Resume
- 2 Letters of Recommendation
- Writing sample:
- Legislative internship prompt: Choose a bill in either chamber of congress and explain why you believe Senator Murray should support or oppose that bill. This should be a bill that Senator Murray has NOT introduced, sponsored, or cosponsored. (500 words max)
- Communications internship prompt: Choose a bill Senator Murray has previously introduced, sponsored, or cosponsored. Draft either a press release, op-ed, or short speech as if you were a Senator announcing your support for the bill. Please keep all writing samples to 1 page maximum and indicate which prompt you are doing at the top of the document.
- Constituent Services prompt: Pick an issue that you are passionate about, and explain how it relates to the work of Senator Murray. (500 words max)
For more information on a Washington, DC internships, please contact:
Jason Edwards, Intern Coordinator
Office of Senator Patty Murray
154 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-2621
e-mail: dcinternship@murray.senate.gov
For more information on Washington State internship, please contact:
Bree Rabourn, State Intern Coordinator
Office of Senator Patty Murray
915 Second Avenue, Suite 2988
Seattle, Washington 98174
(206) 553-5545
Fax: (206) 553-0891
e-mail: interncoordinator@murray.senate.gov
Upcoming Application Deadlines for Internships:
April 4th, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PST for Summer 2021 (June-September, DC & WA)
August 1st, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PST for Fall 2021 (September-December, DC & WA)
November 7th, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PST for Winter/Spring 2022 (January-May, DC)
November 7th, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PST for Winter 2022 (January-March, WA)
January 16th, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. PST for Spring 2022 (March-June, WA)
Late applications may be considered if positions have not yet been filled, but must be submitted with all supporting documents to dcinternship@murray.senate.gov if applying to the Washington, DC office and to interncoordinator@murray.senate.gov if applying to a Washington state office
