Vietnamese American lawmaker passes on Florida Senate bid

CONGRESSMEMBER STEPHANIE MURPHY

Florida Congressmember Stephanie Murphy will forego a campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2022 but holds open the possibility of a run in 2024.

Murphy, the first Vietnamese American woman elected to Congress, cites a rough race challenging incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio in the 2022 midterms. 

“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 in a video released earlier this week on her social media accounts.

In a state that has voted with the GOP in the last two Presidential elections in 2016 and 2020, a Democrat running for office at any level faces a daunting task. Plus, in the midterms, historically and party in power face an uphill battle to retain its seats in Congress. Republican voters usually have a better turnout than Democrats in the midterms.

In addition, the Florida GOP-controlled legislature and governor recently passed voter suppression laws that will likely be challenged in the courts in this election cycle.

Democrats fare better in the years when the nation elects a President when Democrat voters are more prone to turn out.

If Murphy decides to run in 2024, she would go against Florida's other incumbent Senator, Rick Scott, deemed a weaker opponent than Curz.

“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 so desperately need to win here,” Murphy said.

“So, I’ve decided, instead of running for the U.S. Senate, I will devote my energy to helping make our party stronger. While I will not be running statewide in ’22, I will work to help the Democratic Party build toward statewide success.”

Murphy said she will seek reelection to Congressional District 7 in Central Florida.

Murphy's exit from the race against Cruz leaves the door open for fellow Democrat, Rep. Val Demmings, who hasn't announced her plans for 2022. Demmings, a former police chief, was on Joe Biden's short list as a possible running mate.