Greg Murphy (politician)

Murphy was appointed to the North Carolina General Assembly in November 2015 and served the 9th District of Pitt County, to finish the term of Brian Brown, who resigned.[12]

On November 8, 2016, he faced Brian Farkas, and won the election with 22,540 votes (57.52 percent) while Farkas had 16,648 votes (42.48 percent).[13]

Murphy filed for re-election for his seat in February 2018. The race in the 2018 general election was between Murphy and Kristoffer (Kris) Rixon.[14]

During his second term in the North Carolina General Assembly, Murphy served as Senior Chair of Health Policy and championed several health care initiatives.[1] In 2017, he introduced the STOP Act (Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention Act) which was North Carolina’s first major legislative initiative to confront the opioid epidemic.[15] Murphy then introduced the HOPE Act which aided Law Enforcement to help curtail drug trafficking.[16] These two majors initiatives, along with other interventions, were credited with having North Carolina’s Opioid Overdose deaths decline for the first time in over a decade.[17]

Murphy introduced legislation which helped veterans get access to hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a means for treatment of traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.[18] Following the deaths of three newborns in eastern North Carolina, Murphy introduced legislation to improve birthing standards for birth centers in North Carolina.[19][20]

In 2019, Murphy announced his campaign for the United States House of Representatives special election in North Carolina's 3rd congressional district to replace Walter B. Jones Jr., who died in office. Murphy went on to win the runoff on July 9, 2019, against pediatrician Joan Perry by a margin of 59.7 percent to 40.3 percent.[21] In the general election on September 10, 2019, he defeated former Greenville Mayor Allen M. Thomas by a margin of 61.7 percent to 37.5 percent.[22]

In 2020, Murphy was uncontested in the Republican primary for his seat.[23] He won the general election over Democrat Daryl Farrow with 63.5 percent of the vote.[24]

• Committee on Education and Labor
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs

• Doctors Caucus
• Military Depot and Industrial Facilities Caucus
• Southern Border Caucus
• Shipbuilding Caucus
• Taiwan Caucus

As a result of Chinese espionage at American universities, Murphy introduced the INFLUENCE Act aimed at reducing the number of Chinese nationals attending American higher education institutions. While requiring higher education institutions to report gifts of $50,000 or more from a foreign source, Murphy’s legislation also establishes interagency coordination on the enforcement of any violations exposing U.S. national security projects.[27][28]

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Murphy claimed on Twitter that Joe Biden "obviously is fighting the ravages of dementia."[29] Questioned about the assertion by a reporter, Murphy, a physician, said he was only echoing what the public thinks.[30] "The majority of American people believe he does have dementia,” he said.[31]

In an October 2020 tweet that later was deleted,[32] Murphy called Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris a "walking disaster" who "was only picked for her color and her race."[33]

In December 2020, Murphy was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[34] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[35][36][37]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Murphy and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[38][39] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Murphy and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[40]

In January 2021, Murphy was one of several Republican members of the House, led by Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama,[41][42] as well as Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri,[43] who declared that they would formally object to the counting of the electoral votes of five swing states won by Biden during the January 6, 2021 joint session.[41][42][44] The objections would then trigger votes from both houses.[44]

At least 140 House Republicans reportedly planned to vote against the counting of electoral votes, despite the lack of any credible allegation of an irregularity that would have impacted the election, and the allegations' rejections by courts, election officials, the Electoral College, and others,[41] and despite the fact that almost all of the Republican objectors had "just won elections in the very same balloting they are now claiming was fraudulently administered."[45]

Murphy said in a press release the day before the joint session, "I have been quite vocal in stating that to preserve the integrity of our elections, we must fight to ensure that every voice is heard, every legal vote is counted, and every count is confirmed," adding that he believed the actions of executive officials and judges in several states were "at best troubling and at worst seditious."[46][47]

Following the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol by a mob of rioters supporting President Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Murphy voted to agree with the objection to Pennsylvania’s results.[48][49]

Murphy did not cast a vote in the second impeachment of Donald Trump on January 13, 2021.[50][51] Murphy released a statement expressing his opposition to the impeachment and stating he would miss the vote due to a family issue.[51]