Patty Murray

But at least it's warmer.

Female Dean of the Senate: Mikulski and other women Senators in the 110th Congress.Barbara Mikulski is the modern dean of women U.S. Senators. She gained that respect by climbing the ladder of Baltimore politics, spending a decade in the House, and another two decades in the Senate. Regardless of party, every one of her newly-elected female colleagues pays a visit to seek advice from a woman who has weathered the Senate for over two decades.

Mikulski is the longest-serving woman currently in the Senate, besting Senators Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein and Patty Murrary by about five years. At the end of her current term, Mikulski will surpass the longest-serving woman Senator in history, Maine's Margaret Chase Smith, who served four full terms.