Stephanie Murphy

Murphy declared her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives for Florida's 7th congressional district in the 2016 elections. She ran against 12-term incumbent Republican John Mica in the general election on November 8, 2016.[6] She was endorsed by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.[5][10][11] Murphy defeated Mica, receiving 51% of the vote.[12] Murphy is the second Vietnamese-American, after Joseph Cao, to be elected to the United States Congress, and the first Vietnamese-American woman to do so.[5]

Murphy ran in a district that was somewhat bluer than its predecessor after a court-ordered mid-decade redistricting. The old 7th had been a marginal district, even though Mica had won it twice without serious difficulty (he had previously represented a more Republican St. Augustine/Daytona Beach/Orlando district from 1993 to 2013). Mitt Romney narrowly won it over Barack Obama in 2012, with 51 percent of the vote.[13] In contrast, had the redrawn 7th existed in 2012, Obama would have won it with 49.4 percent.[14]

After meeting with President Trump in September 2017, Murphy said that she and fellow Democrats could work with him.[15]

Murphy, according to political commentators, was faced with the challenge of representing an evenly divided district. "Of the three freshman Democrats from Central Florida, which include U.S. Reps. Val Demings, D-Orlando, and Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, Murphy faces the toughest race for re-election," stated the Orlando Sentinel on January 2, 2018. "I think she has one of the toughest districts in the country," said Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida. "It's very difficult to please everybody in a swing district, and that's why it's so challenging."[15]

She was re-elected with 57.6% of the vote, defeating Republican Mike Miller.

Murphy was re-elected in 2020 with 55.34% of the vote, defeating Republican Leo Valentín.

Murphy was sworn into office on January 3, 2017. She has urged the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate various bomb threats against Jewish facilities.[16] She joined the Blue Dog Coalition in the 115th U.S. Congress,[17] and was named one of three co-chairs, handling administration, in December 2018 for the 116th U.S. Congress.[18]

With the Democrats winning a majority in the House in 2018, Murphy was named to the powerful Ways and Means Committee.[19] She is only the 20th woman ever to serve on that committee. As it is one of the "exclusive committees" of the House, she had to give up her previous seats on the Armed Services and Small Business committees.

• Committee on Ways and Means
  • Subcommittee on Trade
  • Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support

• Democratic National Security Task Force (Co-Chair)[20]
• Blue Dog Coalition[17]
• New Democrat Coalition[17]
• Problem Solvers Caucus[21]
• Climate Solutions Caucus[22]
• LGBT Equality Caucus[23]
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus[24]
• Future Forum (elected Chair on December 6, 2018)[25]

Murphy introduced a bill to make it easier for small business owners to obtain low-interest loans. The bill was passed by the House. She also co-sponsored a law, passed and signed by President Trump, that ensures that small businesses will receive a share of federal government contracts.[15]

Murphy decided to run for office when incumbent Republican John Mica accepted a campaign contribution from the NRA two days after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. (The 7th congressional district includes much of Orlando) She won office with the support of gun-control groups, such as Americans for Responsible Solutions and the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence, which was formed after the Pulse shooting. Murphy supports universal background checks, as well as prohibiting those on the No Fly List from purchasing firearms.[26] Murphy has stated, "We should protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners, but we should also protect our communities by passing commonsense gun laws."[27]

In 2017, Murphy introduced the "Gun Violence Research Act" into the United States House of Representatives, which was designed to repeal the 1996 federal ban on the use of federal funds to fund gun-violence research. Murphy stated that the current ban on gun-violence research was "un-American to its core."[28] As of February 2018, the Act had not been voted on. Following the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, several Republican Congress members indicated that they were in favor of the Gun Violence Research Act. In March 2018, Murphy said that gun control might be approaching "a tipping point" because the present younger generation "had to grow up where they don't know anything but school mass shootings. They're sick and tired of it, and they're activating."[29]

Murphy co-sponsored the DREAM Act and voted several times to force a House vote on it.[15] She was, however, one of only 24 House Democrats who voted for Kate's Law,[30] under which "an alien who has been excluded, deported, removed, or denied admission, or who has departed the United States while under an outstanding order of exclusion, deportation, or removal, and who subsequently crosses or attempts to cross the border into the United States, shall be fined, imprisoned not more than two years, or both."[31] To demonstrate her support for immigration reform, she posted online a picture of herself wearing an "I Am An Immigrant" t-shirt along with the message, "#IAmAnImmigrant and proud of it. Our nation's diversity is its strength. Opportunity and freedom keep the American dream alive."[32]

Murphy opposed President Trump's executive order to temporarily ban entry into the United States by citizens of six Muslim-majority countries. "I strongly oppose the President's executive orders on refugees, which violate fundamental American values and undermine our national security," she said. "We must work in a bipartisan manner to strengthen our refugee policy in a way that keeps us secure AND upholds our values."[33]

On December 18, 2019, Murphy voted for both articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump.[34] Murphy voted in favor of President Trump's second impeachment, on January 13, 2021.[35]

Murphy was one of 8 Democrats to oppose a House resolution limiting President Trump's military actions against Iran without congressional approval.[36][37][38]

In the aftermath of the attack on the capitol by supporters of Donald Trump, Murphy proposed to deny security clearances to QAnon members.[39]