Record 8 candidates, Purple Heart veteran joins
The field of candidates for Florida’ 2nd Congressional District now has grown to eight – the most candidates ever in the modern era, according to records dating to 1978 and posted online by the Florida Department of State's Division of Elections.
Tallahassee land broker and Iraq War veteran Luke Murphy entered the race Feb. 12 to succeed retiring Congressman Neal Dunn, R-Panama City. Murphy promises to engage in bipartisan collaboration and focus on constituent service.
“I’m the kind of guy that will listen to everyone. I have a lot of people in my family that do not agree with my politics, and a lot that do. But I will always listen to everybody and I will always be objective,” Murphy said.
Murphy joins four other Republicans and three Democrats, all under the age of 50, that want to represent a section of north Florida that takes in Tallahassee and Panama City as it sprawls from the Alabama border to the Gulf and around the Big Bend to the Steinhatchee River.
Dunn has represented the district for 10 years and has been a loyal ally to President Donald Trump. His retirement comes at a time when the U.S. House is nearly evenly divided with the GOP holding a one-vote majority - the smallest since 1930.
All of the GOP contenders pledge to follow in Dunn’s footsteps and support the President’s agenda while the three Democrats want to be part of a new majority that wrestles control from the Republicans and block Trump’s policies.
“I’ll work hand in hand with President Trump to usher in a new golden age of economic opportunity. I’ll fight to make America safe again and will battle every day to take care of our veterans,” Murphy said.
Two tours in Iraq and a Purple Heart
An Iraqi combat veteran, Murphy lost a leg in Baghdad during a reconnaissance mission in 2006 and was awarded a Purple Heart.
During a 2015 inauguration speech, then-Gov. Rick Scott gave a shout out to Murphy for the entrepreneurial spirit he displayed when, after the injury, he moved to Tallahassee, earned a degree at Florida State University and started a realty business selling working farms and recreational lands.
Murphy’s competition for the Republican nomination is Evan Power, chair of the Republican Party of Florida; Panama City businessman Keith Gross; Austin Rogers, a former general counsel to U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, and Jefferson County farmer Nick Lewis.
The Democratic candidates include attorney Yen Bailey, data consultant Nic Zateslo and former grants administrator Amanda Green. Political oddsmakers like the Cook Report give the GOP an eight-point advantage in the district.