Joe Henderson: Stephanie Murphy has been a moderate voice in a time of extremes

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy. Image via AP.

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy proved it is possible for Democrats to believe in progressive social values and still care about its cost. Like most people in this country, Murphy could move to the right a little, then move back to the left, and usually wind up somewhere close to the center.

However, that’s not how the game is played these days — either in Washington or Tallahassee. Everything is a purity test of checked boxes, whether progressive or conservative.

That’s not who the people of Florida’s 7^th Congressional District easily elected three times to represent them in Congress.

And with Murphy announcing Monday that she will not run for a fourth term, they may be hard-pressed to find a similar person to replace her in November 2022.

“These last few years have been some of the most rewarding moments of my life, but also some of the most challenging. Public service is not without personal sacrifice,” she shared in a video announcing her decision.

“And as a mom of two young children, my time away from them has been hard … This was not an easy decision, but it was the right decision.”

Murphy was co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition. That’s a group of 21 House Democrats who call themselves pragmatists “appealing to the mainstream values of the American public.”

They believe in fiscal sanity, a strong defense, and working beyond party lines.

We don’t know for sure what her district will look like after the new boundaries are finalized. However, we do know that Republican challengers hopeful of grabbing the seat include state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, Cory Mills, Brady Duke and Erika Benfield.

That’s a conga line of hard-right fire-breathers.

Mills is a decorated combat veteran who worked in the Defense Department under Donald Trump.

“Right now, we’re running on an America last agenda,” Mills told the Washington Examiner. “We’re prioritizing illegals over our military.”

Duke is a pastor and former Navy SEAL.

“As a Navy SEAL, I’ve looked into the face of evil in combat, and I will never back down from a fight in Washington,” he said. “Now, I’m a husband and father of five, and I’ve seen too many professional politicians compromising our country’s future and security. I’m ready to face these challenges to cut taxes, secure our border, defend life, and ensure the safety of our families at home and abroad.”

Benfield served as a DeBary City Commissioner and declared, “I am an unapologetic conservative who believes in the America First agenda championed by President Donald Trump.”

Sabatini, well, where do we start? He demanded an audit of Florida’s 2020 presidential election that Trump won by about 300,000 votes. But Sabatini said it would be OK to audit only those counties that Joe Biden won. His party leadership essentially ostracized him in Tallahassee for doing and saying reams of stupid things.

There will be no shortage of potential candidates from the left, either. Republicans targeted this district, believing they could knock out Murphy, but it could wind up looking as it basically does now. We’ll handicap this race after knowing a little more about what it looks like.

Here’s what we can say, however. The Democrats desperately need candidates who can attract moderate support, and Murphy’s departure could make that harder.