Murphy Passing on Challenging Rubio for Senate
Rep. Stephanie Murphy has decided not to run for U.S. Senate, a decision that appears to clear the path for another prominent Florida Democrat, Rep. Val Demings, to do so.
In a video statement released Monday , Murphy said “The reality is that Marco Rubio will not be an easy opponent, especially if it’s on the heels of a bruising primary where Democrats spend millions attacking each other instead of using those millions to build the infrastructure we desperately need to win.”
Murphy had been discussed as a likely challenger to Rubio for month, and that speculation appeared to gain credence when the representative began a month-long tour of the state in February.
Instead, Murphy plans to seek reelection in her Orlando-area House district, and she vowed to help the state party with voter registration, organizing and strengthening its field of candidates
“We’ve had too many close losses in Florida, and so I wanted to use my experience from winning tough races to help the party prepare itself,” Murphy said.
“While I will not be running statewide in 2022, I will work to help the Democratic party build towards statewide success,” she added. “We must start now with unity of effort if we want the state to be ready to put the White House, a Senate seat, and more state and local races in the democratic column in 2024.”
