Mark Murphy
Mark Murphy declared he would run against Republican Congressman Michael Grimm last night, shooting regular barbs at his rival throughout his speech. Before a crowd of Staten Island Democrats, he made his intentions about as clear as they could get: “I am Mark Murphy, and I am running for Congress.”
While outlining a promise to create jobs, Mr. Murphy, a former aide to Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, engaged Congressman Grimm directly. “My opponent might like to fire people, but let me tell you something,” he said, seizing upon one of Mr. Grimm’s statements that Democrats view as a gaffe. “I like to hire people, and I want to put America back to work now.”
Mr. Murphy also accused the Republican of lacking proactive initiatives. “I believe in finding ways to vote ‘yes’ – not just saying ‘no’ — in moving our country forward to build a better and brighter future for middle class in Staten Island and in Brooklyn,” he said in an early part of his speech.
“Just look at our current Congressman’s record,” Mr. Murphy later continued. “He said ‘no’ to extending payroll tax cuts for middle class workers. He said ‘no’ when there was a vote to protect Medicare. He said ‘no’ to extending unemployment benefits those who lose their jobs in this recession. His is the Congress of ‘no.’”
In a sign the race is drawing national attention, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recently rated the race as “emerging” while the National Republican Congressional Committee sent out a press release attacking Mr. Murphy moments before his announcement.
“In these troubled economic times, Mark Murphy has already made it clear that he is running for Congress to represent Obama’s job-destroying agenda – not to fight for local values,” an NRCC spokesman said. “New York families don’t want a partisan rubber-stamp like Murphy who will pursue the same big-government agenda that has already destroyed our economy.”
Republican efforts attempting to tie Mr. Murphy to the White House make strategic sense as President Obama fared poorly in this district in 2008, narrowly losing a district Al Gore won, despite performing significantly better nationally.
Answering questions after the event, however, Mr. Murphy dismissed the national Republicans’ criticism. “I’m not running for the Presidency of the United States, I’m running to be a Member of Congress,” he contended.
A number of other Democrats have considered entering the race, including former Congressman Mike McMahon who lost to Mr. Grimm in 2010; however Mr. Murphy is currently the only announced candidate and appears very likely to be the nominee.
Asked about other potential candidates who have vaguely indicated their interest, Mr. Murphy didn’t discourage them but made his own candidacy clear. “Look, I welcome the Democratic process, and that’s the great thing about it,” he responded. “But I’m the one who stepped up to the plate, and I said the time is now, and we need to begin this campaign against the current Congressman.”
Watch the campaign announcement below:
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Here’s the bottom line. Mark Murphy has not lived on Staten Island for 18 years. At the age of 41, that’s just about his entire adult life.
After his career in Hollywood in some of the most laughably bad bit performances on cable TV failed, he turned to real estate which also failed. He returned home without employment, and despite his 2 decades of absence from NYC, his convicted felon father landed him a political patronage job representing David Dinkins adviser Bill Deblasio to Brookyln, Staten Island and Queens.
The man has no business running for Congress, council or dogcatcher, and it is a pathetic insult to all Staten Islanders for the Democratic Party to run this man with a straight face.
Do you mean as opposed to the eminently qualified incumbent?
Last time I checked, the people of Brooklyn and Staten Island have already spoken about Grimm’s qualifications, having voted him into office. Only a liberal could argue that working in California for 20 years as a failed cable TV actor and real estate agent and then for a few months in a nothing political patronage job qualifies someone more than having served this country as a decorated US Marine combat veteran and an undercover FBI special agent.
Grimm had done NOTHING, absolutely nothing in and for his district and constituents. He is an AWOL, as far as respresenting his constituents. The only thing attached to his name is sponsoring a minor tax cut for tanning salons … something more helpful for dermatologists treating skin cancer, than the general population. Was this useful? At this age, how stupid can he be?
He attached his name as friend of the court to a couple of issues, like “me too…” Do we need such a loser here at taxpayer money?
Besides, he also lived many years somewhere in the South (maybe Texas?) before he decided to move back, as an opportunist.
He is all talk, no action.
That is a pathetic and an utter lie. Grimm lives in a house he has owned and resided in for more than a decade, making him like most Staten Islanders. According to your claims, Grimm would have had to have a time machine or a crystal ball to see that ten years later this seat would open up again.
He has passed several bills in the House which he either cosponsored or authored.