Stephanie Murphy is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for Florida's 7th congressional district, serving from 2017 to 2023. A Democrat and the first Vietnamese-American woman in Congress, she unseated a longtime incumbent in 2016 and focused on national security, gun violence prevention, and immigration reform. Murphy served on the House Ways and Means and Armed Services Committees, was a leader in the Blue Dog Coalition, and played a key role on the January 6th Select Committee. After retiring from Congress in 2023, she announced her candidacy for Orange County Mayor in 2025.

Quick Facts:

Current Role: Candidate for Mayor of Orange County, Florida

Previous roles: U.S. Representative for Florida's 7th congressional district (2017–2023), Executive at Sungate Capital, Instructor at Rollins College, National Security Specialist at the U.S. Department of Defense

Education: B.A. in Economics from the College of William and Mary; M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University

Background: Born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (1978); immigrated to the U.S. as a child; raised in Northern Virginia

Career: National security specialist, business executive, educator, nonprofit advocate, and three-term Congresswoman

Political positions: Democrat; centrist affiliation with the Blue Dog Coalition; advocate for gun control, immigration reform, and small business support

Legislative achievements: Secured federal funding for gun violence research, small business assistance, and served on the House Ways and Means and Armed Services Committees; member of the January 6th Select Committee

Controversies: No major controversies reported