Stephanie Murphy first made waves in 2016 by becoming the first Vietnamese American woman and only the second Vietnamese American elected to Congress. Now, nearly 6 years later, the Florida lawmaker announced that she will not seek reelection in the 2022 midterms.
“I strongly believe in a citizen Congress, where ordinary citizens run for office in search of duty and service, not in search of a career, and I never intended my time in Congress to become a career,” Murphy said in a video she shared on her official Twitter account.
During her six-year tenure as a representative, Murphy condemned the Trump Administration’s stance on deporting refugees, citing her own family’s history of fleeing communist Vietnam. Murphy has also served as a co-chair for the moderate Blue Dog Coalition and was a member of the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol Riots.
Murphy’s decision adds her to a list of 23 Democratic representatives who have already said they will not seek reelection.
Some retiring members said they are bowing out because their districts have become more competitive under this year’s redistricting. Others cited dysfunction on Capitol Hill or satisfaction with their legislative accomplishments in this Congress, NBC News reports.
The combination of the Democratic retirements and President Biden’s dwindling approval ratings could seriously affect the outcome of the 2022 midterm elections, Axios writes, thus undermining the party’s ability to maintain its slim majority in the House.
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