Patrick Murphy (Florida politician)
| Patrick Murphy | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 18th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Ileana Ros-Lehtinen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Patrick Erin Murphy[1] March 30, 1983 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (2011–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Republican (Before 2011) |
| Residence | Jupiter, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Miami (B.S.) |
| Occupation | Accountant |
| Website | Congressional website |
Patrick Erin Murphy (born March 30, 1983) is an American politician who has been the United States Representative for Florida's 18th congressional district since 2013. Murphy, at age 30, is the youngest current U.S. congressman.[2]
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Early life, education, and career[edit]
Murphy was born in Miami and raised in Key Largo, spending much of his childhood on construction sites of his family-owned construction company, Coastal Construction Group (CCG). Murphy attended Palmer Trinity School in Miami from grades 7-12 before graduating from Lawrenceville School, a prep school in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, in 2002.[3] He worked as a day laborer while going to college at University of Miami.[4]
As a 19-year-old freshman college student in 2003, Murphy was arrested outside a Miami Beach night club on charges of disorderly intoxication and possessing a fake driver license. The arrest affidavit said Murphy and his friend were escorted from the club by security, appeared drunk and were disrupting business near the club entrance. After being warned they would be arrested if they didn't leave, Murphy and his friend left in a cab, but the cab returned with the driver complaining that the passengers were drunk and refused to pay. The intoxication charge was ultimately dropped for lack of evidence and the fake ID charge was dismissed. Murphy called the incident "the biggest mistake of my life" and the "biggest learning experience of my life".[5]
After earning a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami in accounting and finance, Murphy was a Certified Public Accountant at Deloitte and Touche, where he served as an external auditor of Fortune 500 companies. He left Deloitte to become vice president of his family's construction business.[6] After the 2010 BP oil spill, he spent months in the Gulf of Mexico leading an effort to remove oil.[6]
U.S. House of Representatives[edit]
2012 election[edit]
Murphy took the campaign strategy of selling himself as a West alternative.[7] Murphy claims he was so taken aback by some of the things Republican incumbent Representative Allen West was saying in Congress and on television that he felt compelled to run against him.[6] Murphy was supported by Florida's former Republican Governor Charlie Crist and former Democratic President Bill Clinton, along with Republican Sheriff of Martin County Bob Crowder, who ran against West in the primaries.[8][9] The race was one of the most expensive congressional races, and called one of the ugliest, in the 2012 campaign, as well as one of the closest.[10]
After a close vote, the state of Florida certified a Murphy victory over West, days after the election.[11] The West campaign claimed there were errors in the vote counting process and took legal action to request a recount of disputed votes.[12] On November 20, 2012, the West campaign conceded the election to Murphy, who won by a margin of 2429 votes. [13]
Committee assignments[edit]
- Committee on Financial Services
- Committee on Small Business
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade (Ranking Member)
Political positions[edit]
Murphy became a Democrat in 2011. He says he switched from being a Republican and a Mitt Romney supporter because of his disgust with the Tea Party movement.[14] Murphy was described in The Huffington Post as a "pro-choice, pro-LGBT rights but 'not ultra-liberal' Democrat who values fiscal responsibility".[6] He supports the Affordable Care Act and Medicare. He favors income tax increases for the wealthy, but implemented on those earning over $1 million annually rather than $250,000, as advocated by President Barack Obama.[14]
Electoral history[edit]
| 2012 18th Congressional District of Florida Elections | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Patrick Murphy | 166,799 | 50.4 | ||
| Republican | Allen West (incumbent) | 164,370 | 49.6 | ||
| Turnout | 331,169 | 100 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
References[edit]
- ^ "Patrick Murphy, Vice President, Coastal Environmental Services". Coastal Environmental Services. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ "Allen West concedes to newcomer Patrick Murphy" by Chris Moody, Yahoo! News, November 20, 2012
- ^ "Patrick "Erin" Murphy '02 Runs for Congress". Lawrenceville School. August 8, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ Patrick Murphy. "Patrick Murphy for Congress". Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ George Bennett (June 15, 2012). "Dem candidate Murphy: Drunk and disorderly incident at 19 ‘biggest mistake of my life’". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Jennifer Bendery (August 15, 2012). "Patrick Murphy Reveals Strategy For Beating Allen West". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ "Florida, 18th House District". National Journal. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ Alex Sanz (September 12, 2012). "Clinton raises money, Crist makes appearance at South Florida fundraiser". WPTV. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ Jennifer Bendery (October 31, 2012). "Allen West's Primary Opponent 'Embarrassed' By West, Endorses Democrat Patrick Murphy". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ Businessweek profile of the race between West and Murphy by Michael C. Bender, October 18, 2012]
- ^ "Florida certifies victory for House newcomer". The Hill. November 10, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
- ^ "Allen West/Patrick Murphy race update: West could challenge District 18 results for months"
- ^ "Allen West concedes to Patrick Murphy". Politico. November 20, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ a b George Bennett (September 22, 2012). "Both sides making West's rhetoric an issue in closely divided District 18". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
External links[edit]
- Representative Patrick Murphy official U.S. House website
- Patrick Murphy for Congress official campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Biography at Ballotpedia
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
- Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
- Voting record at The Washington Post
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 18th congressional district 2013–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Markwayne Mullin R-Oklahoma |
United States Representatives by seniority 408th |
Succeeded by Beto O'Rourke D-Texas |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Aaron Schock |
Youngest member of the United States House of Representatives January 3, 2013 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
