Chris Murphy | |
|---|---|
 Murphy in 2023 | |
| Deputy Secretary of theSenate Democratic Caucus | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 Serving with Brian Schatz | |
| Leader | Chuck Schumer |
| Preceded by | Brian Schatz |
| United States Senator fromConnecticut | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 Serving with Richard Blumenthal | |
| Preceded by | Joe Lieberman |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromConnecticut's5th district | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Nancy Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth Esty |
| Member of theConnecticut State Senate from the16th district | |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Somma |
| Succeeded by | Sam Caligiuri |
| Member of theConnecticut House of Representatives from the81st district | |
| In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Angelo Fusco |
| Succeeded by | Bruce Zalaski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christopher Scott Murphy (1973-08-03)August 3, 1973 (age 52) White Plains, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Williams College (BA) University of Connecticut (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Senate website Campaign website |
Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving since 2013 as thejuniorUnited States senator fromConnecticut. A member of theDemocratic Party, he served from 2007 to 2013 in theUnited States House of Representatives, representingConnecticut's 5th congressional district. Murphy is a self-describedleft-wing populist.
Before being elected to Congress, Murphy was a member of both chambers of theConnecticut General Assembly, serving two terms each in theConnecticut House of Representatives (1999–2003) and theConnecticut Senate (2003–2007).
He ran for the U.S. Senate in2012 after longtime incumbentJoe Lieberman announced his retirement. Murphy defeated former Connecticut secretary of stateSusan Bysiewicz in the Democratic primary andRepublican nomineeLinda McMahon in the general election. Aged 39 at the time, Murphy was the youngest senator of the113th Congress. He was reelected in2018 and2024.
Murphy was born on August 3, 1973, inWhite Plains, New York, to Catherine A. (née Lewczyk) and Scott L. Murphy.[1] He is of Irish and Polish descent.[2] Murphy's father is a corporate lawyer who served as the managing partner of Shipman & Goodwin, aHartford law firm, and his mother is a retiredESL teacher at Hanmer Elementary School inWethersfield, Connecticut. Murphy has two younger siblings.[3]
Murphy is a graduate ofWethersfield High School. He received hisBachelor of Arts degree from his father's alma mater,Williams College, and hisJuris Doctor degree from theUniversity of Connecticut School of Law. Murphy spent his junior year studying abroad atExeter College, Oxford through theWilliams-Exeter Programme at Oxford.[4] On May 19, 2013, Murphy received anhonorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from theUniversity of New Haven.[5]
In 1996, Murphy managed Charlotte Koskoff's unsuccessful campaign for the House of Representatives againstNancy Johnson; a decade later, Murphy himself unseated Johnson. From 1997 to 1998, Murphy worked forConnecticut State Senate Majority LeaderGeorge Jepsen. Murphy was first elected to office in 1997, when he won a seat onSouthington'splanning and zoning commission.[6]
In 1998, at age 25, Murphy challenged 14-year incumbent Republican State Representative Angelo Fusco. Murphy was endorsed by the six largest labor unions in the state. The CT Employees Independent Union endorsed Murphy, the first time the union had endorsed Fusco's opponent.[7] Fusco described himself as a union member, an environmentalist, and a moderate.[8] Murphy defeated Fusco, 55%–45%.[9] In 2000, he was reelected, defeating Barbara Morelli, 68%–32%.[10]
As early as March 1999, Murphy criticized U.S. CongresswomanNancy Johnson's vote toimpeach PresidentBill Clinton.[11] In 2001, he co-sponsored a bill to eliminate child poverty.[12] He proposed legislation to give free tuition to students of the state's community-technical colleges.[13] He proposed legislation to ban smoking at state colleges and universities.[14] He co-sponsored a bill to create anearned income tax credit.[15] He was a supporter of LGBT rights as early as 2002.[16] During his tenure, he served on the Judiciary Committee.[17]
After two terms in the Connecticut House, Murphy ran for a seat in theConnecticut State Senate in 2002. The open 16th district had been held by a Republican for more than a decade. Inthe general election, he defeated Republican State RepresentativeAnn Dandrow, 53%–47%.[18] He was reelected in 2004, defeating Republican Christopher O'Brien, 60%–37%.[19]
In 2003, Murphy joined the Clean Car Alliance and supported California-like environmental standards on auto manufacturers.[20]
In 2004, Murphy supported a bill to ban smoking in restaurants and bars.[21][22]
In 2005, Murphy authored legislation establishing the new Office of Child Protection, to "better coordinate advocacy for abused and neglected children".[23] Murphy also wrote Public Act 05–149, an act permittingstem-cell research while prohibiting human cloning.[24][25] The act, signed into law by GovernorJodi Rell, made Connecticut the third state in the nation to permit taxpayer-subsidized stem-cell research.[26]
During his tenure in the State Senate, Murphy was one of the first ten co-sponsors of acivil union bill that passed the General Assembly in 2005. On his Senate campaign website, Murphy summarized his stance: "Let me be clear and simple: LGBT rights are human rights. Marriage equality and nondiscrimination in the military, workplace, classroom and healthcare system, based on real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, are civil rights that must be protected under law."[27] During his tenure he chaired the Public Health Committee.[28]
Murphy chose not to run for reelection to the State Senate, instead running for the U.S. House seat held by 12-term incumbent RepublicanNancy Johnson.[29] To challenge Johnson, he moved from Southington toCheshire.[30] Murphy was elected in2006 with 56% of the vote, defeating Johnson by about 22,000 votes.
He carried 35 of the district's 41 cities and towns, including several that had reliably supported Johnson for decades. He defeated Johnson by a significant margin in her hometown ofNew Britain, which she had represented for over 30 years in both the state senate and in Congress. He was reelected in 2008 and 2010 with 60% and 54% of the vote, respectively.[31][32]
Murphy has received high ratings from progressive groups such asAmericans for Democratic Action,NARAL Pro-Choice America, and variouslabor unions; and low scores from conservative groups as theClub for Growth,American Conservative Union, andFreedomWorks.[33]
In 2008, Murphy sentHouse Majority LeaderSteny Hoyer a letter expressing support for increased oil drilling as part of a bipartisan energy bill.[34]
Murphy supports reform of federal supportive housing programs, which assist low-income people with severe disabilities. In 2008, the House of Representatives passed the "Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act", which Murphy authored to modernize and streamline Section 811, which governs federal supportive housing grants.[35]
Murphy has called for the closure of theGuantanamo Bay detention camp,[36] but in 2011, he voted to extend provisions of thePatriot Act.[37]
In 2009, Murphy helped draftHR 3200, the House health-care reform bill. Murphy defended his role in supporting the bill at a contentious town hall meeting inSimsbury in August 2009.[38][39]
A longtime supporter of health insurance reform, Murphy is a strong proponent of thepublic option, which entails the creation of an independent, government-sponsored health insurance plan to compete with private companies. He has argued that such a plan would not require government financing and would help introduce competition into monopolized health insurance markets and help reduce costs.[40]
In May 2007, Murphy organized a group of freshman House members to support the creation of an independent, nonpartisan ethics panel to review complaints filed against House members.[41] He has been credited with helping to shape the independentOffice of Congressional Ethics, which was passed into law by the House in March 2008.[42]
Murphy sponsored a bill that would subjectSupreme Court justices to the same ethical code that applies to other federal judges and suggested in 2011 the possibility of an investigation of whether JusticeClarence Thomas had committed ethical violations that would justify removing him from office. The matter in question was Thomas's connection to Harlan Crow[43] and other supporters of the Republican Party.[44] Murphy circulated a draft letter to other members of Congress asking the House Judiciary Committee leadership to hold a hearing on the Supreme Court Transparency and Disclosure Act, which would end the Supreme Court's immunity to judicial ethics laws.[45]
As a member of theHouse Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Murphy was highly critical of for-profit government contractors operating in Iraq, which functioned with little government oversight and scrutiny. He introduced the Government Funding Transparency Act of 2008, which required private companies that do the majority of their business with the federal government to publicly disclose their top executives' salaries.[46]
Two home invasions occurred in Murphy's district in 2007 and 2008; the latter, in Cheshire, was especially brutal, with the rape and murder of a mother and her two daughters. In response, Murphy proposed making home invasion a federal crime.[47]
Murphy has been a proponent of the proposedNew Haven-Hartford-Springfield Commuter Rail Line, an effort to use existingAmtrak railroad tracks for daily commuter service on par with Southwestern Connecticut'sMetro-North service into New York. In 2008, Murphy successfully added an amendment to rail legislation making it easier for Amtrak and the state of Connecticut to cooperate on the rail project.[48] The line began operation in 2018.[citation needed]
Murphy proposed reforms of the nation's "missing persons" databases, introducing "Billy's Law" in 2009 to improve coordination of law-enforcement efforts to find missing persons. The legislation was named in honor of Billy Smolinski Jr., a onetime resident of Murphy's district who disappeared in 2004.[49]
On January 20, 2011, Murphy announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held byJoe Lieberman, who was retiring.[50] It was announced in mid-July that a group spearheaded by a state Capitol lobbyist was forming aSuper PAC for his campaign, hoping to raise $1 million to combat a possible opponent.[51]
Murphy defeated formerConnecticut Secretary of StateSusan Bysiewicz in the Democratic primary and Republican nomineeLinda McMahon in the general election.[52][53] He received 55% of the vote, winning every county exceptLitchfield County. It was the most expensive political race in Connecticut history at the time[54] and one of the most expensive Senate races of 2012.[55]
Murphy was reelected in 2018, defeating Republican nominee Matt Corey[56] with 59.5% of the vote.[57]
In 2024, Murphy was elected to a third term. He was unanimously selected as the Democratic nominee[58] and defeated Republican nominee Matt Corey,Green nominee Justin C. Paglino, and Cheaper Gas Groceries Party nominee Robert Finley Hyde.[59][60]
Murphy was on the shortlist of candidatesHillary Clinton considered for her running mate.The Washington Post compared him to a "youngBill Clinton" and called him "one of the future leaders of the party".[61]
Murphy took office as the junior United States senator for Connecticut on January 3, 2013. In the Senate, he has worked on funding for transportation and infrastructure, the preservation of Long Island Sound, growing small farms and promoting Connecticut manufacturing.
In 2016, Murphy walked 126 miles across Connecticut, listening to constituents and holding daily town hall meetings.[62] He repeated the walk in 2017, covering 106 miles and holding five town hall meetings.[63]
In early 2020, Murphy secretly[64] met withIranian foreign ministerJavad Zarif on the sidelines ofMunich Security Conference. They discussedU.S. nationals being detained in Iran,Iran's involvement in theYemeni Civil War, andIranian-backed militias in Iraq. In a post onMedium.com, Murphy wrote: "I have no delusions about Iran—they are our adversary, responsible for the killing of thousands of Americans and unacceptable levels of support for terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East. But I think it's dangerous to not talk to your enemies. Discussions and negotiations are a way to ease tensions and reduce the chances for crisis."[65]
In the wake of theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack in 2021, Murphy called for theremoval of Donald Trump from office.[66] He also said he would lead an investigation into the security breaches and law enforcement response during the attack.[67]
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Commenting on the day of thefall of Kabul, Murphy said, "Our priority now needs to be evacuating American personnel and as many of our Afghan partners as humanly possible. I firmly believe that President Biden made the right decision by standing by the Trump administration's decision to bring our troops home and end the longest war in our nation's history."[68]
Since the2024 United States presidential election, Murphy has emerged as a prominent critic ofDonald Trump and his agenda. He has delivered many scathing condemnations of Trump on social media platforms, increasing his following by 223 percent and receiving more than 29 million impressions.[until when?] Media outlets includingThe Guardian,The New York Times, and NBC News have listed Murphy as a possiblepresidential candidate in 2028.[69][70][71] He has also focused on and expressed alarm over what he says is the erosion of American democracy and government corruption in thesecond Trump administration.[72][73]
Source:[74]
Murphy ispro-choice. WhenRoe v. Wadewas overturned in June 2022, Murphy called it a "disaster".[77]
Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation, the American Jobs Matter Act[78] and the 21st Century Buy American Act,[79] to close loopholes in the existing Buy American laws and encourage the U.S. government to purchase American-made goods.
In May 2018, Murphy was one of 12 senators to sign a letter toFederal Labor Relations Authority chairColleen Kiko urging the FLRA to end efforts to close its Boston regional office until Congress debated the matter, adding that the FLRA's closure of its regional offices would cause staff to be placed farther away from the federal employees whose rights they protect.[80]
Murphy has spoken out against outsourcing.[81] He has been an outspoken critic ofneoliberalism since 2022 and has instead advocatedbig-tent politics andleft-wing populism to win back working-class voters and build a winning coalition.[82][83]
AfterKamala Harris lost the2024 presidential election, Murphy urged a significant revamp of Democratic Party policy, saying thatneoliberalism, growing social and economic alienation of many Americans from the party, and a perception ofelitism have contributed to the party's loss ofworking class voters. Murphy believes the Democratic Party should embraceleft-wing populism as an antidote toright-wing populism, reiterating thatThird Way economic policies have eroded the party's once broad appeal.[84]
Murphy was one of the first members of Congress to come out in opposition toUS support for theSaudi-led military campaign in Yemen, which was launched in 2015.[85] In a speech on January 29, 2016, he recommended that the US stop supporting this campaign and suspend military sales toSaudi Arabia until it received assurances that the war would not distract from Saudi efforts againstal-Qaeda andISIS and Saudi Arabia reduced its worldwide support ofWahhabism.[86] Murphy is a member of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee and the ranking Democratic member of the subcommittee on the Middle East and Counter-terrorism.[87] In June 8, 2015, edition ofForeign Affairs, Murphy co-authored "Principles for a Progressive Foreign Policy", proposing a framework for a Democratic foreign policy strategy.[88]
In November 2017, Murphy accused the United States of complicity in thewar crimes committed in Yemen by the Saudi-led military coalition and inYemen's humanitarian crisis, saying: "Thousands and thousands inside Yemen today are dying....This horror is caused in part by our decision to facilitate a bombing campaign that is murdering children and to endorse a Saudi strategy inside Yemen that is deliberately using disease and starvation and the withdrawal of humanitarian support as a tactic."[89] In October 2018, Murphy wrote that if the reports ofJamal Khashoggi'smurder were true, "it should represent a fundamental break" inSaudi Arabia–United States relations.[90] Murphy,Bernie Sanders, andMike Lee advanced a vote to co-sponsor a resolution that would require the President to "withdraw troops in or "affecting" Yemen within 30 days unless they are fighting al Qaeda.[91] In February 2019, Murphy was one of seven senators to reintroduce legislation requiring sanctions on Saudi officials involved in Khashoggi's murder and seeking to address support for the Yemen civil war by prohibiting some weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and U.S. military refueling of Saudi coalition planes.[92]
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Murphy one of the Senate's most vociferous critics ofRussia. Murphy holds that Russia will remain a permanent, persistent threat to the United States and its security interests regardless of the incumbent regime in the country. At a 2019 event at theAtlantic Council, Murphy professed the need forNATO allies to understand that the US has been always "far behind Russia in understanding our vulnerabilities".[93] At the same event, Murphy echoed the sentiments of Lithuanian and Georgian foreign ministers that Russia's imperialist nature will always put it at odds with the US and that little will change until Russia as a "captive state of aggregate territories" changes its nature.[93]
In March 2016, Murphy and Republican SenatorRob Portman co-authored the bipartisanCountering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act.[94] CongressmanAdam Kinzinger introduced the House version of the bill.[95] After the2016 U.S. presidential election, worries grew that propaganda spread and organized by theRussian government swayed the outcome of the election, and representatives in theU.S. Congress took action to safeguard thenational security of the United States by advancing legislation to monitor propaganda from external threats.[94][96] On November 30, 2016, legislators approved a measure within theNational Defense Authorization Act to ask theU.S. State Department to take action against foreign propaganda through an interagency panel.[94][96] The legislation authorized funding of $160 million over a two-year period.[94] The initiative was developed through the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act.[94]
In September 2016, in advance ofUN Security Council resolution 2334 condemningIsraeli settlements in the occupiedPalestinian territories, Murphy signed anAIPAC-sponsored letter urging President Obama to veto "one-sided" resolutions against Israel.[97]
In July 2017, Murphy voted in favor of theCountering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act that placedsanctions on Iran,Russia, andNorth Korea.[98][99]
In December 2017, Murphy criticized President Trump's decision torecognize Jerusalem as the capital ofIsrael, saying, "It needs to be done at the right time and in the right manner."[100]
In December 2018, Trump ordered thewithdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. Murphy said in a statement: "I support withdrawing troops, but we must also rejoin a diplomatic process that the Trump administration has left to other powers, and we need a surge in humanitarian relief. That's the only way we can protect the Syrian people against aTurkish incursion or regime reprisals.[101]
In April 2019, Murphy was one of 34 senators to sign a letter to President Trump encouraging him "to listen to members of your own Administration and reverse a decision that will damage our national security and aggravate conditions inside Central America", asserting that Trump had "consistently expressed a flawed understanding of U.S. foreign assistance" since becoming president and that he was "personally undermining efforts to promote U.S. national security and economic prosperity" by preventing the use of Fiscal Year 2018 national security funding. The senators argued that foreign assistance to Central American countries created less migration to the U.S. by helping to improve conditions in those countries.[102]
In January 2020, Murphy wrote toFBI DirectorChristopher A. Wray, urging the FBI to "investigate the allegations" thatSaudi Arabia "illegally compromised and stole personal data" fromJeff Bezos, the owner ofThe Washington Post, as part of a possible effort to "influence, if not silence, theWashington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia".[103][104]
In May 2020, Murphy voiced his opposition to Israel's plan toannex parts of the Israeli-occupiedWest Bank.[105]
In January 2024, Murphy voted against a resolution, proposed by SenatorBernie Sanders, to apply thehuman rights provisions of theForeign Assistance Act toU.S. aid to Israel's military. The proposal was defeated, 72 to 11.[106] On February 7, 2024, Murphy said he would support an amendment requiring weapons sold internationally to be used in compliance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law, and the laws of armed conflict.[107]
In March 2024, Murphy was one of 19 Democratic senators to sign a letter to the Biden administration urging the U.S. to recognize a "nonmilitarized"Palestinian state after theGaza war.[108]
In March 2025, Murphy said, "The White House has become an arm of the Kremlin."[109]
In April 2025, Murphy voted for a pair of resolutions, proposed by Sanders, to cancel theTrump's administration's sales of $8.8 billion in bombs and other munitions to Israel. The proposals were defeated, 82 to 15.[110]
In June 2025, after Trump made remarks about bombing Iranian nuclear facilities, Murphy told reporters, "It appears that we have only delayed Iran's nuclear program by a few months. The president's assertions that we have dismantled the program are false. Knowledge cannot be eradicated through bombing."[111]
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Murphy supports gun control and has been a leading advocate for further legislation relating to it.[112] He supports a national assault-weapon ban and introduced such a ban in 2017 and 2023.[113][114] Murphy has an F rating with theNRA Political Victory Fund and in 2020 published a book on gun control,The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy.[115][116]
TheSandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred inNewtown, Connecticut, in Murphy's House district near the end of his term. In the aftermath of the shooting, he became a leading voice in the movement to prevent gun violence, supporting numerous policies, including universal background checks and ending the ban on gun violence research at theCDC.[117] Murphy supported the bipartisan Manchin-Toomey background checks proposal, which would have strengthened and expanded the existing background-check system and established a National Commission on Mass Violence to study in-depth all the causes of mass violence.[118] When the proposal failed to meet the 60-vote threshold for advancement, Murphy said, "This is a day when the Republican filibuster stood in the way of 90% of Americans."[119]
In his first month in office, he criticized theNational Rifle Association andApple Inc. for a video game involving shooting with guns that was labeled appropriate for children as young as four.[120]
On June 24, 2015, Murphy said, "Since Sandy Hook there has been aschool shooting, on average, every week";The Washington Post called this statement misleading.[121] On June 15–16, 2016, Murphy staged a filibuster regarding gun control following theOrlando nightclub shooting, the deadliestmass shooting in U.S. history at the time. The filibuster entered the list of the top 10 longest filibusters in U.S. history.[122] In the wake of the shooting, Murphy said, "This phenomenon of near-constant mass shootings happens only in America—nowhere else" and "this epidemic will continue without end if Congress continues to sit on its hands and do nothing—again."[123]
After the 2017Sutherland Springs church shooting, Murphy and SenatorJohn Cornyn introduced the bipartisanFix NICS Act to ensure criminal records are submitted to the federal background-check system. The legislation passed in the2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act.[124]
After the 2018Stoneman Douglas High School shooting,[125] Murphy made an impassioned call for action in the Senate, saying, "this happens nowhere else other than the United States of America, this epidemic of mass slaughter, this scourge of school shooting after school shooting. It only happens here not because of coincidence, not because of bad luck, but as a consequence of our inaction. We are responsible for a level of mass atrocity that happens in this country with zero parallel anywhere else. As a parent it scares me to death that this body doesn't take seriously the safety of my children, and it seems like a lot of parents in South Florida will be asking the same question today. We pray for families, for the victims. We hope for the best."[126] In March 2018, Murphy was one of ten senators to sign a letter toSenate HELP Committee chairLamar Alexander and ranking DemocratPatty Murray requesting they schedule a hearing on the causes and remedies of mass shootings in the wake of the shooting.[127]
After theRobb Elementary School Shooting, Murphy emerged as the lead Democratic negotiator in support of theBipartisan Safer Communities Act.[128] The act, which would partially close theBoyfriend loophole while providing federal funding for mental health andred flag law adaptation, was viewed as the first piece of notable gun-safety legislation in decades.[129][130] This bill passed with a bipartisan Senate majority and is considered highly significant gun-violence legislation.[131]
Murphy has been a leading Senate supporter of theAffordable Care Act and has opposed Republican attempts to repeal it, consistently speaking on the floor about its favorable effects on his constituents.[132]
In April 2017, Murphy was one of five Democratic senators to sign a letter to President Trump that warned that failure "to take immediate action to oppose the lawsuit or direct House Republicans to forgo this effort will increase instability in the insurance market, as insurers may choose not to participate in the marketplace in 2018" and that they remained concerned that his administration "has still not provided certainty to insurers and consumers that you will protect the cost-sharing subsidies provided under the law."[133]
Murphy called the American Health Care Act of 2017 "an intellectual and moraldumpster fire" that would cause 24 million Americans to lose their health insurance.[134]
On August 5, 2015, Murphy and Republican SenatorBill Cassidy introduced the bipartisan Mental Health Reform Act of 2015. The legislation, aimed at overhauling the mental health system, would build treatment capacity, promote integrated care models, expand the mental health workforce and encourage the enforcement of existing mental health parity laws.[135]
The bill was informed by listening sessions that Murphy conducted across Connecticut.[136] The bill was widely supported by the mental health community, with organizations including theAmerican Psychiatric Association,[137] Mental Health America[138] and the National Council for Behavioral Health[139] applauding its introduction.
On March 16, 2016, the Mental Health Reform Act unanimously passed the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. On December 7, 2016, the Senate passed the act as a part of the21st Century Cures Act. The bill also provided $1 billion in funding to address the opioid crisis and funding for theNIH Cancer moonshot initiative. President Obama signed the bill into law on December 13, 2016.[140]
Murphy has been a vocal advocate for addressingloneliness in America, an issue he has framed as both apublic health crisis and a societal challenge that requires immediate, bipartisan action.[141][142][143] He has called loneliness a "spiritual crisis"[144] that fuels increasedaddiction,violence, andsuicide[145][141][144] acrossdemographics,regions, andpartisan lines. He makes the case that genuinehappiness andwell-being are closely tied tosocial connection rather than solelyeconomic success, emphasizing the importance of policies that encouragecommunity andfamily bonds.[146][141][144][147] In an op-ed co-written withRichard Weissbourd, Murphy argued that America's overemphasis onindividualism has led to a cultural shift away from collective welfare, making it critical to restore a balance between individual success and the "common good".[142]
In July 2023, Murphy introduced the National Strategy for Social Connection Act, which aims to establish aWhite House Office of Social Connection Policy.[148][141] The office's purpose is to coordinate withfederal agencies to create policies promoting social infrastructure and issue guidelines to foster social bonds.[143][149] The proposed legislation also suggests funding for theCDC to research loneliness andsocial isolation, highlighting the health risks associated withdisconnection, such as increasedsusceptibility toheart disease anddementia.[141][144]
Murphy has sought to generate bipartisan support for his efforts to address loneliness. In April 2024, in partnership with theRepublicanGovernor ofUtahSpencer Cox, Murphy announced a series of round-table events about restoring the value of the common good.[147] Described as "a national effort to convene discussions", these forums were intended to bring together thinkers, researchers, and writers on the left and right to explore community solutions to combat loneliness and fostersocial solidarity.[144]
Murphy has also proposed targeted measures such as regulating youth access tosocial media, improving labor policies to allow moreleisure time, and supporting institutions liketrade unions andreligious organizations that naturally build community.[148][144] His goal is to reframe policy discussions around social well-being, and rebuild the "social fabric" weakened by modernindividualism andtechnologicalisolation.[146][145][147]
In January 2025, Murphy and SenatorsTed Cruz,Katie Britt, andBrian Schatz introduced theKids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA). SenatorsJohn Curtis,Peter Welch,John Fetterman,Ted Budd,Mark Warner, andAngus King co-sponsored the act.[150] It would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media platforms and prevent social media companies from feeding "algorithmically targeted" content to users under 17. Murphy said: "Everyone knows how harmful social media can be to kids. As a parent, I've seen firsthand how these platforms use intentionally addictive algorithms to spoon-feed young people horrifying content glorifying everything from suicide to eating disorders. Yet these companies have proven they will choose profits over the well-being of our kids unless we force them to do otherwise. This bipartisan legislation will finally hold social media companies accountable".[151][152][153]
In July 2019, Murphy and 15 other Senate Democrats introduced the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, which mandated that ICE agents get approval from a supervisor before engaging in enforcement actions at sensitive locations except in special circumstances, that agents receive annual training, and that they annually report enforcement actions in those locations.[154]
Murphy has expressed support for theBipartisan Border Bill and introduced the Border Act of 2024, which includes similar provision.[155][156][157]
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturnedRoe v. Wade in June 2022, Murphy called the justices that supported the decision "politicians" and said: "The Constitution to them is just a fun tool to help them impose their political views on the entire country. The implausible inconsistency of the guns and abortion rulings is both sickening and revealing."[158]
Murphy married Catherine Holahan in August 2007. They have two sons.[159] On November 15, 2024, Murphy's office confirmed that he and his wife were separating after 17 years of marriage.[160] Raised as aCongregationalist, Murphy identifies as "unspecified/other Protestant" but said in 2015 that he was "not a regular churchgoer these days, in part because of kids, in part because of a busy schedule."[161] But by 2023, Murphy had joined churches in Hartford and Washington.[141]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Murphy | 122,980 | 56.46 | ||
| Republican | Nancy Johnson (incumbent) | 94,824 | 43.54 | ||
| Total votes | 217,804 | 100.00 | |||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Murphy (incumbent) | 178,377 | 59.65 | ||
| Republican | David Cappiello | 117,585 | 39.32 | ||
| Independent | Thomas Winn | 3,066 | 1.03 | ||
| Total votes | 299,028 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Murphy (incumbent) | 122,879 | 54.06 | ||
| Republican | Sam Caligiuri | 104,402 | 45.94 | ||
| Total votes | 227,281 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Murphy | 89,283 | 67.43% | |
| Democratic | Susan Bysiewicz | 43,135 | 32.57% | |
| Total votes | 132,418 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Murphy | 828,761 | 54.82% | +15.09% | |
| Republican | Linda McMahon | 651,089 | 43.07% | +33.45% | |
| Libertarian | Paul Passarelli | 25,045 | 1.66% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 6,869 | 0.45% | +0.44% | ||
| Total votes | 1,511,764 | 100% | N/A | ||
| Democraticgain fromIndependent | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Murphy (incumbent) | 825,579 | 59.53% | +4.71% | |
| Republican | Matthew Corey | 545,717 | 39.35% | −3.94% | |
| Libertarian | Richard Lion | 8,838 | 0.64% | −1.02% | |
| Green | Jeff Russell | 6,618 | 0.48% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 88 | 0.01% | -0.44% | ||
| Total votes | 1,386,840 | 100% | N/A | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Murphy (incumbent) | 1,000,695 | 58.58% | −0.95% | |
| Republican | Matthew Corey | 678,256 | 39.70% | +0.35% | |
| Cheaper Gas Groceries | Robert F. Hyde | 14,879 | 0.87% | N/A | |
| Green | Justin Paglino | 14,422 | 0.84% | +0.36% | |
| Write-in | 7 | 0.00% | -0.01% | ||
| Total votes | 1,708,259 | 100% | N/A | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Data from Wikidata| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromConnecticut's 5th congressional district 2007–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromConnecticut (Class 1) 2012,2018,2024 | Most recent |
| Preceded by | Deputy Secretary of theSenate Democratic Caucus 2025–present Served alongside:Brian Schatz | Incumbent |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Connecticut 2013–present Served alongside:Dick Blumenthal | Incumbent |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Baby of the Senate 2013–2015 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Seniority in the United States Senate 37th | Succeeded by |
Statewide elected officials and legislative leaders ofConnecticut | ||
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