Richard Blumenthal is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut, having served in the Senate since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1946 and grew up in Riverdale, New York. He graduated from Harvard College and Yale Law School, and served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. Before his Senate career, Blumenthal served as Connecticut's Attorney General for an extraordinary twenty years, from 1991 to 2011, building a national reputation as a consumer protection and antitrust litigator who took on major pharmaceutical companies, financial institutions, and the tobacco industry.
In the Senate, Blumenthal serves on the Judiciary Committee and the Armed Services Committee. He has been a leading voice on gun safety legislation, veterans' rights, and consumer protection, continuing the advocacy work that defined his tenure as state Attorney General. He has been particularly active on issues of sexual assault and domestic violence, and has worked across party lines on veterans' healthcare legislation. He serves Connecticut's significant defense manufacturing sector through his Armed Services Committee work.