Politics

/

ArcaMax

Former Rep. Stephanie Murphy announces bid for local office in Florida

Mary Ellen McIntire, CQ-Roll Call on

Published in Political News

WASHINGTON — Former Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy, once a leader of centrist Democrats in the House, announced Wednesday that she is running for mayor of Orange County, home to Orlando.

“You may know me as your former congresswoman,” Murphy says in a video announcing her campaign. “Before I ever stepped foot in Washington, I worked in business, helping companies grow, solve problems and cut through red tape. And now I want to bring that same approach to local government.”

Murphy was first elected to the House in 2016, flipping a Republican-held seat that became more Democratic after mid-decade redistricting. During her tenure in the House, she served as a co-chair of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition and also in House Democratic leadership, becoming chief deputy whip in her final term.

In late 2021, Murphy announced she wouldn’t seek reelection to her 7th District seat, which Republican Cory Mills flipped the following year after it was made redder in redistricting. In announcing her retirement, Murphy cited a need to spend more time with her family, whom she also referenced in her launch video for Orange County mayor.

“My husband and I are raising our kids here,” she said. “Just like you, I’ve got skin in the game.”

Murphy joins three other hopefuls so far in the officially nonpartisan open race to lead Florida’s fifth-largest county, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Term-limited incumbent Jerry Demings is the husband of Democrat Val B. Demings, Murphy’s former House colleague who said recently that she wouldn’t seek to succeed her husband. Like Murphy, Val Demings also left Congress after 2022, losing a Senate race to Republican Marco Rubio.

Orange County is one of just six counties in Florida that backed Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. While Harris carried the county by 14 points, Donald Trump cut his margins by nearly 10 points from 2020, as the onetime battleground state took a decidedly red turn.

 

Murphy had previously ruled out a run for statewide office in 2026, noting that she left Congress in favor of more time with her family. But in a state where Democrats have struggled in recent years, the former congresswoman has remained a vocal presence within the party.

After Democrats posted stronger-than-expected performances in a pair of House special elections in Florida earlier this year, Murphy told Politico that the millions raised by the party for those two races could have been better spent.

“What I wish would happen when there’s this kind of energy and enthusiasm and resources coming into the state is that these campaigns would use some of that money to build for future cycles, as opposed to spending it on outside consultants and leaving no infrastructure in its wake,” she said.

“If you want to change Florida, it might take a couple of cycles to close the voter registration gap,” she added.

Republicans overtook Democrats among active registered voters in Florida in 2020, and as of the end of May, the Sunshine State’s Division of Elections reported 5.5 million active Republicans to 4.2 million Democrats.


©2025 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

The ACLU

ACLU

By The ACLU
Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman

By Amy Goodman
Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Bill Press

Bill Press

By Bill Press
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Christine Flowers

Christine Flowers

By Christine Flowers
Clarence Page

Clarence Page

By Clarence Page
Danny Tyree

Danny Tyree

By Danny Tyree
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Debra Saunders

Debra Saunders

By Debra Saunders
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Dick Polman

Dick Polman

By Dick Polman
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
Froma Harrop

Froma Harrop

By Froma Harrop
Jacob Sullum

Jacob Sullum

By Jacob Sullum
Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm

By Jamie Stiehm
Jeff Robbins

Jeff Robbins

By Jeff Robbins
Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

By Jessica Johnson
Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower

By Jim Hightower
Joe Conason

Joe Conason

By Joe Conason
Joe Guzzardi

Joe Guzzardi

By Joe Guzzardi
John Micek

John Micek

By John Micek
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew P. Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Marc Munroe Dion

Marc Munroe Dion

By Marc Munroe Dion
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Robert B. Reich

Robert B. Reich

By Robert B. Reich
Ruben Navarrett Jr.

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
Ruth Marcus

Ruth Marcus

By Ruth Marcus
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich

By Susan Estrich
Ted Rall

Ted Rall

By Ted Rall
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Tim Graham

Tim Graham

By Tim Graham
Tom Purcell

Tom Purcell

By Tom Purcell
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

Al Goodwyn John Branch Bill Day David M. Hitch Dave Whamond Dick Wright