Former
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy says
she is running for Orange County Mayor.
“I was proud to represent parts of Orlando
in the U.S. House of Representatives, where I was ranked one of America’s most
bipartisan and effective members of Congress,” Murphy said in a video announcing her candidacy.
“But 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
is joining what’s becoming a crowded race to replace term-limited Orange County
Mayor Jerry Demings.
Orange
County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell,
Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe and
tech entrepreneur Chris Messina have
all filed to run for the top executive office in Orange County. The job pays
$248,770 annually.
“Our
county is growing fast, and that’s exciting, but it also comes with
challenges,” Murphy said, highlighting priorities that included transportation,
affordable housing. “We need to diversify our economy to create more
good-paying jobs in new industries while continuing to support the tourism that
powers so much of our economy.”
Murphy,
who defeated Republican U.S. Rep. John Mica in 2016 in an upset,
served three terms in Washington. She was the first Vietnamese American woman
elected to Congress. She earned a reputation as a moderate Democrat in her
district, which covered Seminole County, Maitland, Winter Park and parts of
Orlando.
“I
strongly believe in a citizen Congress, where ordinary citizens run for office
in search of duty and service, not in search of a career,” Murphy said while announcing her
retirement in 2021. “And I never intended my time in
Congress to become a career.”
She
said politics was becoming “divisive and dangerous.”
Murphy
was part of the Jan. 6
Commission investigating the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot by Donald
Trump supporters.
Courtesy
of Florida Politics
