Greg Murphy (politician)

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Greg Murphy
Rep. Greg Murphy 116th Congress Portrait.jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 17, 2019
Preceded byWalter B. Jones Jr.
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 9th district
In office
October 19, 2015 – September 17, 2019
Preceded byBrian Brown
Succeeded byPerrin Jones
Personal details
Born (1963-03-05) March 5, 1963 (age 58)
Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Wendy Murphy[1]
EducationDavidson College (BS)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (MD)
WebsiteHouse website

Gregory Francis Murphy (born March 5, 1963)[2][3] is an American urologist and politician representing North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019. He served as a representative in the North Carolina General Assembly from 2015 to 2019.[3][4]

Early life and education[]

Murphy was raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, and attended Needham B. Broughton High School.[5] After high school, he attended Davidson College as an Edward Crosland Stuart Scholar. He then completed medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society.[6]

After finishing surgical training, Murphy and his wife settled in Greenville, North Carolina.[1]

Medical career[]

Murphy has traveled as a medical missionary. When he was 20 years old, he spent a summer in Bihar, India, working in a Catholic leprosy hospital.[citation needed] Murphy performed medical missionary work in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.[7]

Murphy served as president of a medical practice and also as Chief of Staff of Vidant Medical Center.[8] He was a member of the ECU School of Medicine faculty and served as Davidson College Alumni President from 2015 to 2017 while also serving on the Board of Trustees.[9]

In 2017, Murphy received a Distinguished Leadership Award from the American Association of Clinical Urologists.[10]

North Carolina General Assembly[]

Elections[]

Murphy was appointed to the North Carolina General Assembly in November 2015 and served the 9th District of Pitt County, to finish the term of Brian Brown, who had resigned.[11]

On November 8, 2016, he was elected to the seat, defeating Brian Farkas with 22,540 votes (57.52%) to Farkas's 16,648 (42.48%).[12]

Murphy was reelected in 2018, defeating Kristoffer (Kris) Rixon.[13]

Tenure[]

During his second term in the General Assembly, Murphy served as Senior Chair of Health Policy and championed several health care initiatives.[1] In 2017, he introduced the STOP Act (Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention Act), North Carolina’s first major legislative initiative to confront the opioid epidemic.[14] Murphy then introduced the HOPE Act, which helped law enforcement curtail drug trafficking.[15] These two initiatives, along with other interventions, were credited[by whom?] with reducing North Carolina’s opioid overdose deaths for the first time in over a decade.[16]

Murphy introduced legislation that helped veterans get access to hyperbaric oxygen therapy as treatment for traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.[17] After the deaths of three newborns in eastern North Carolina, he introduced legislation to improve birthing standards for birth centers in North Carolina.[18][19]

State legislative committees[]

Standing or Select Committee Status
Alcoholic Beverage Control Member
Appropriations Vice-Chairman
Appropriations, Health and Human Services Chairman
Education - Universities Member
Energy and Public Utilities Member
Health Chairman
Health Care Reform Member
House Select Committee on Disaster Relief Member
Insurance Member

U.S. House of Representatives[]

Elections[]

2019 special[]

Main article: 2019 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district special election

In 2019, Murphy announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives special election in North Carolina's 3rd congressional district to replace Walter B. Jones Jr., who died in office. Murphy won the runoff on July 9, 2019, against pediatrician Joan Perry, 59.7% to 40.3%.[20] In the September 10 general election, he defeated former Greenville Mayor Allen M. Thomas, 61.7% to 37.5%.[21]

2020[]

In 2020, Murphy was unopposed in the Republican primary for his seat.[22] He won the general election over Democratic nominee Daryl Farrow with 63.5% of the vote.[23]

Committee assignments[24][]

Caucus memberships[24][]

  • Doctors Caucus
  • Military Depot and Industrial Facilities Caucus
  • Southern Border Caucus
  • Shipbuilding Caucus
  • Taiwan Caucus
  • Republican Study Committee[25]
  • Freedom Caucus[26]

Political positions[]

Chinese espionage[]

As a result of Chinese espionage at American universities, Murphy introduced the INFLUENCE Act, aimed at reducing the number of Chinese nationals attending American higher education institutions. While requiring higher education institutions to report gifts of $50,000 or more from a foreign source, Murphy’s legislation also establishes interagency coordination on the enforcement of any violations exposing U.S. national security projects.[27][28]

Joe Biden[]

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Murphy claimed on Twitter that Joe Biden "obviously is fighting the ravages of dementia."[29] Questioned about the assertion by a reporter, Murphy, a urologist, said he was only echoing what the public thinks,[30] stating "[t]he majority of American people believe he does have dementia”.[31]

Kamala Harris[]

In an October 2020 tweet that later was deleted,[32] Murphy called Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris a "walking disaster" who "was only picked for her color and her race".[32]

Controversial 9/11 tweet[]

Murphy again was condemned for a tweet directed at Representative Ilhan Omar, who is Muslim.

"Heartbroken to learn another CP was killed while protecting the Capitol", Omar wrote after an April 2 incident.[33] "My thoughts and prayers go out to the officer's family and the entire Capitol Police force. The death toll would have been worse if the assailant had an AR-15 instead of a knife." Murphy responded, "Would have been worse if they had been flying planes into the buildings also".[34]

Davidson College controversy[]

Murphy was among 11 co-signers of a letter criticizing his alma mater, Davidson College, for recently removing a requirement that its president and most trustees be Christian. In a May 2021 email to alumni from an official-looking address, the group said Davidson had strayed from its religious roots and "wandered into the realm of political and social activism."[35]

In a follow-up message titled "Unauthorized Davidson Alumni Email", Davidson's alumni office said it "did not authorize the release of alumni email addresses, the use of our name or the contents of the email." It said its IT staff was investigating and "taking this matter very seriously".[citation needed]

Texas v. Pennsylvania[]

In December 2020, Murphy was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Biden defeated Trump.[36] The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[37][38][39]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." She also reprimanded Murphy and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[40][41] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Murphy and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit, arguing that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[42]

Objection during 2021 United States Electoral College vote count[]

Main article: 2021 United States Electoral College vote count

In January 2021, Murphy was one of several Republican members of the House, led by Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama[43][44] and Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri,[45] who declared that they would formally object to the counting of the electoral votes of five swing states won by Biden during the January 6 joint session.[43][44][46] The objections would then trigger votes from both houses.[46]

At least 140 House Republicans reportedly planned to vote against the counting of electoral votes, despite the lack of any credible allegation of an irregularity that would have affected the election, and the allegations' rejections by courts, election officials, the Electoral College, and others,[43] and despite the fact that almost all of the Republican objectors had "just won elections in the very same balloting they are now claiming was fraudulently administered".[47]

Murphy said in a press release the day before the joint session, "I have been quite vocal in stating that to preserve the integrity of our elections, we must fight to ensure that every voice is heard, every legal vote is counted, and every count is confirmed", adding that he believed the actions of executive officials and judges in several states were "at best troubling and at worst seditious."[48][49]

After the storming of the United States Capitol by a mob of rioters supporting Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Murphy voted to agree with the objection to Pennsylvania’s results.[50][51]

Second impeachment of Donald Trump[]

Murphy did not cast a vote on Trump's second impeachment on January 13, 2021.[52][53] He released a statement expressing his opposition to the impeachment and stating he would miss the vote due to a family issue.[53]

Electoral history[]

North Carolina 3rd Congressional District Special Republican Primary, 2019[54]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Greg Murphy 9,530 22.51
Republican Joan Perry 6,536 15.44
Republican Phil Shepard 5,101 12.05
Republican Michael Speciale 4,022 9.50
Republican Phil Law 3,690 8.72
Republican Eric Rouse 3,258 7.70
Republican Jeff Moore 2,280 5.39
Republican Francis X. De Luca 1,670 3.95
Republican Celeste Cairns 1,467 3.47
Republican Chimer Davis Clark Jr. 1,092 2.58
Republican Michele Nix 915 2.16
Republican Graham Boyd 897 2.12
Republican Paul Beaumont 805 1.90
Republican Mike Payment 537 1.27
Republican Don Cox 251 0.59
Republican Kevin Baiko 171 0.40
Republican Gary Ceres 108 0.26
Total votes 42,330 100.0
North Carolina 3rd Congressional District Special Run-off Republican Primary, 2019[55]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Greg Murphy 21,481 59.65
Republican Joan Perry 14,530 40.35
Total votes 36,011 100.0
North Carolina 3rd Congressional District Special Election, 2019[56]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Greg Murphy 70,407 61.74
Democratic Allen M. Thomas 42,738 37.47
Constitution Greg Holt 507 0.44
Libertarian Tim Harris 394 0.35
Total votes 114,046 100.0
North Carolina 3rd Congressional District General Election, 2020[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Greg Murphy 227,462 63.5
Democratic Daryl Farrow 131,011 36.5
Total votes 358,473 100.0

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "About | Congressman Greg Murphy". gregmurphy.house.gov. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  2. ^ "Greg Murphy (@RepGregMurphy) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Candidate Q&A: Greg Murphy, state House 9". Reflector. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  4. ^ North Carolina General Assembly-Representative Gregory F. Murphy
  5. ^ "1981 History". www.nbhs1981.com. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  6. ^ "Alpha Omega Alpha -". alphaomegaalpha.org. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  7. ^ Staff, Reflector. "2010 was a year of change". Reflector. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  8. ^ Eastern Urologists Associates, P.A.-Gregory M. Murphy, MD, FACS
  9. ^ "Board of Trustees - Davidson College - Acalog ACMS™". catalog.davidson.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  10. ^ "10th Annual AACU State Network Advocacy Conference".
  11. ^ "Greenville doctor tapped for open NC House seat". newsobserver. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  12. ^ "North Carolina 9th District State House Results: Greg Murphy Wins". The New York Times. 2017-08-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  13. ^ "North Carolina Election Results (Published 2018)". The New York Times. 2018-11-06. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  14. ^ "House Bill 243 / SL 2017-74 (2017-2018 Session) - North Carolina General Assembly". www.ncleg.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  15. ^ "Heroin and Opioid Prescription and Enforcement (HOPE) Bill | North Carolina Medical Society". Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  16. ^ Abuse, National Institute on Drug (2020-04-03). "North Carolina: Opioid-Involved Deaths and Related Harms". www.drugabuse.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  17. ^ "House Bill 50 / SL 2019-175 (2019-2020 Session) - North Carolina General Assembly". www.ncleg.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  18. ^ WRAL (2019-04-16). "Cary birthing center tied to newborn deaths closing". WRAL.com. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  19. ^ "House Bill 575 (2019-2020 Session) - North Carolina General Assembly". www.ncleg.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  20. ^ Barron-Lopez, Laura (July 9, 2019). "Freedom Caucus-backed Murphy wins North Carolina runoff". Politico. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  21. ^ "Gregory Murphy". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  22. ^ "Live: North Carolina State Primary Election Results 2020". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b "North Carolina Election Results: Third Congressional District". New York Times. 3 November 2020.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b "Committees and Caucuses". Congressman Greg Murphy. 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  25. ^ "Membership". Republican Study Committee. 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  26. ^ "HFF — Two Big Wins in North Carolina". www.housefreedomfund.com. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  27. ^ "America Is Trading Its Secrets For Chinese Tuition Dollars". The Federalist. 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  28. ^ Murphy, Gregory (2020-07-29). "Text - H.R.7842 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): INFLUENCE Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  29. ^ @RepGregMurphy (5 August 2020). "So sad that we have a Candidate who..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  30. ^ https://todayheadline.co/fact-check-ncs-greg-murphy-on-joe-biden-and-dementia/
  31. ^ https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article245043195.html
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b "NC Congressman Murphy Tweets Harris Picked for Color, Race". 8 October 2020.
  33. ^ "GOP Rep. Greg Murphy slammed for invoking 9/11 while tagging Ilhan Omar in deleted tweet". 4 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Republican congressman condemned over Islamophobic tweet to Ilhan Omar". 5 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Uproar at Davidson over alumni email".
  36. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  37. ^ Liptak, Adam (2020-12-11). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  38. ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 2020-12-11. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  39. ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  40. ^ Smith, David (2020-12-12). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  41. ^ "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  42. ^ Williams, Jordan (2020-12-11). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  43. ^ Jump up to: a b c Tapper, Jake (December 31, 2020). "At least 140 House Republicans to vote against counting electoral votes, two GOP lawmakers say". CNN.
  44. ^ Jump up to: a b Fandos, Nicholas (December 15, 2020). "Defying Trump, McConnell Seeks to Squelch Bid to Overturn the Election". The New York Times.
  45. ^ Brockell, Gillian (January 5, 2021). "The senators who were expelled after refusing to accept Lincoln's election". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  46. ^ Jump up to: a b Potter, Trevor (December 17, 2020). "No, Jan. 6 isn't another chance for Trump to reverse the election". The Washington Post.
  47. ^ Broadwater, Luke (January 2, 2021). "Pence Welcomes Bid to Overturn Biden's Election as Republican Senators Join". The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  48. ^ Murphy, Greg (5 January 2021). "Murphy Objecting to Electoral College Certification". Congressman Greg Murphy. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  49. ^ "NC Rep. Greg Murphy announces intention to object to Electoral College votes". WBTW. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  50. ^ Yourish, Karen (January 7, 2021). "The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results". The New York Times.
  51. ^ Murphy, Brian (January 7, 2021). "How NC's delegation in Congress voted on objections to election certification". The News and Observer.
  52. ^ Cai, Weiyi (13 January 2021). "Impeachment Results: How Democrats and Republicans Voted". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  53. ^ Jump up to: a b Johnson, Sharon (13 January 2021). "Congressman Greg Murphy misses vote, but opposes Trump impeachment". WITN. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  54. ^ "04/30/2019 UNOFFICIAL LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  55. ^ "07/09/2019 UNOFFICIAL LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  56. ^ "09/10/2019 OFFICIAL LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2020-03-03.

External links[]

North Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by
Brian Brown 		Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 9th district
2015–2019 		Succeeded by
Perrin Jones
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Walter B. Jones Jr. 		Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 3rd congressional district
2019–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Dan Bishop 		United States representatives by seniority
367th 		Succeeded by
Mike Garcia
  • v
  • t
North Carolina's delegation(s) to the 116th–present United States Congresses (ordered by seniority)
116th
Senate:
  •   R. Burr (R)
  •   T. Tillis (R)
House:
  •   D. Price (D)
  •   E. Clayton (D)
  •   W. Jones Jr. (R)
  •   G. K. Butterfield (D)
  •   V. Foxx (R)
  •   P. McHenry (R)
  •   G. Holding (R)
  •   R. Hudson (R)
  •   M. Meadows (R)
  •   A. Adams (D)
  •   D. Rouzer (R)
  •   M. Walker (R)
  •   T. Budd (R)
  •   D. Bishop (R)
  •   G. Murphy (R)
117th
Senate:
  •   R. Burr (R)
  •   T. Tillis (R)
House:
  •   D. Price (D)
  •   E. Clayton (D)
  •   G. K. Butterfield (D)
  •   V. Foxx (R)
  •   P. McHenry (R)
  •   R. Hudson (R)
  •   A. Adams (D)
  •   D. Rouzer (R)
  •   T. Budd (R)
  •   D. Bishop (R)
  •   G. Murphy (R)
  •   M. Cawthorn (R)
  •   K. Manning (D)
  •   D. Ross (D)
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