Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, whose district includes parts of Orange and all of Seminole County, announced today that she will not seek a fourth term.
Murphy was first elected in 2017. She is only the second Vietnamese-American elected to Congress. She said she’s leaving to spend more time with her family and she never intended for her time in Washington to become a career.
“I know this may come as a shock to many of you, for someone to quote unquote “retire” at my age from Congress – without scandal, without immediately seeking higher office, without fear of losing reelection, or without some lucrative job opportunity," Murphy said. "I recognize this is a very rare thing to do in Congress, but I still strongly believe in a citizen Congress, where ordinary citizens run for office in search of duty and service, not in search of a career.”
In her video announcement, she also called on voters to stay informed. "Serving in Congress is a symbiotic relationship. Representatives need citizens to stay engaged and citizens need their representatives to listen. The biggest danger to a democracy is a disengaged electorate. So my ask of you is to stay informed and make your voices heard," said Murphy.
Although her time in the U.S House of Representatives is over, Murphy said she’s not done with public service just yet. She’ll continue to work as chair of the Florida Democratic Party’s Democracy and Voter Protection Program.
Murphy’s term officially ends in January 2023.
