Scott Powers
Citing a bipartisan voting record and legislative efforts on behalf of small-business owners and entrepreneurs, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Wednesday endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy for re-election, her campaign announced.
The endorsement of a Democratic lawmaker is rare for the national chamber, especially in a competitive district. This announcement comes at the expense of Republican nominee state Rep. Mike Miller of Winter Park, Murphy’s opponent in this year’s election for Florida’s 7th Congressional District.
“Congresswoman Murphy understands what it takes to start, grow, and turn around a business in America, which is why she has shown such strong leadership on issues like infrastructure, immigration, and investing in small businesses,” Ken Johnson, executive director of congressional and public affairs for the U.S. Chamber, said in a news release from Murphy’s campaign. “Stephanie is willing to work across the aisle, and has a proven bipartisan record in Congress of supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners.”
The national chamber’s endorsement comes a week after Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce presented Murphy with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of Enterprise Award, citing her bipartisan voting record of supporting pro-growth policies in Congress, her campaign reported.
In Congress, Murphy serves on the House Small Business Committee and as ranking member of its subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce.
Murphy’s husband, Sean Murphy, is a small-business man, and she has worked as a business consultant.
Her CD 7 covers Seminole County and north and central Orange County.
“As someone who fled communism, I am a firm defender of free enterprise in this country because I know the alternative, and it isn’t pretty,” Murphy, whose family fled Vietnam when she was a child, stated in the release. “I’ve consulted well-established companies and counseled small startups, so I understand the challenges and opportunities facing businesses in America. I will keep working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to create more and better-paying jobs in Central Florida, to keep the spirit of enterprise alive, and to pass pro-growth policies that strengthen the middle class and lift people out of poverty.”
