Stephanie Murphy, a once-prominent voice for House Democrats’ moderate wing, is running for mayor in Orange County, Florida.
“I was proud to represent parts of Orlando in the House of Representatives, where I was ranked one of America’s most bipartisan and effective members of Congress,” she said in her announcement Wednesday. “But before I was ever in Washington, I worked in business, helping companies grow, solve problems and cut through red tape. Now I want to bring that same approach to local government.”
Murphy made a surprise announcement in 2021 that she would not seek reelection to her Orlando-area House seat. She had ousted Republican John Mica in 2016 from the seat he had served in for 12 terms.
She had helped Democrats develop a strategy to retake the House in 2018, and her retirement sparked concerns from moderate Democrats about the future of the party.
At the time, Murphy told POLITICO she was not ruling out a run for other offices in the future. Her decision to leave, she said, was because serving had been a “personal sacrifice” that was “hard on my family and my kids.”
“I think it’s hard for people in politics and especially in Washington to understand that someone at my age would quote unquote, retire … without having some sort of scandal or without fear of losing a reelection or without immediately running for another position or job,” Murphy said. “But really, right now I need to be with my family.”
In her mayoral announcement, Murphy cited raising her kids in Orange County, saying she had “skin in the game.” Much of her announcement video centered around policies for working families, like safer communities and stronger schools.
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