Gabrielle Russon
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.
