House Representative Stephanie Murphy, in the moderate camp leader of the Democrats, announced that she won’t be seeking re-election after her present term. She said that she has decided to step down from seeking another term.
Stephanie Murphy said that it had been an honor to serve Florida. But it has become challenging for her and her family, she says. She said that while the decision has not been easy, it has been the right one.
Stephanie Murphy is 21st of the Democrats to withdraw or seek reelection for another office in next year’s midterm elections. The Democratic Party desperately tries to protect a wafer-thin margin in the lower house. They face traditional harsh headwinds and an intense political climate.
The latest blow to the Democrats comes even as moderate Democrat Senator Joe Manchin delivered a major kick in the teeth to his party and President Joe Biden when he refused to support the $2T social bill.
Stephanie Murphy Will Step Down
The National Republican Congressional Committee has responded to the news of Stephanie Murphy saying that the retirement crisis and the collapse of the social spending bill was an unmitigated disaster for the Democratic Party. The Committee is the reelection wing of the Republican Party.
Stephanie Murphy had in 2016 upturned a Republican-controlled turf in Florida around Orlando. She eased out Republican John Mica by 3 points and entered Congress. she easily won in 2018 (15 points) and in 2020 (12 points).
Florida is due for redistricting that could change the demography of the area in favor of the Republicans. Stephanie Murphy says her decision to retire is not centered on her chances in 2022.
Murphy had made history as the first American of Vietnamese descent to enter Congress.
Murphy had planned to enter the Senate race in 2022 but stood aside when Val Demings entered the fray.