Stephanie Murphy campaign team denies report she has decided to run for Senate

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy plans to announce a campaign for the U.S. Senate within the next month, challenging Republican Sen. Marco Rubio for his seat, according to a report by Axios.

Murphy’s campaign team has not confirmed her run. In a statement sent to the Orlando Sentinel Tuesday night, campaign spokesperson Lauren Calmet said Murphy “has not made a decision on whether to run for the U.S. Senate.”

Murphy, D-Winter Park, signaled she was considering a Senate bid in February and started a “listening tour” that month to hear constituents’ concerns. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel at the time, Murphy said she was considering running in 2022 or 2024.

Sources close to Murphy told Axios she plans to announce her candidacy in early June, giving her time to raise funds and garner support for the Democratic nomination ahead of the election. Lauren Calmet, a spokesperson for Murphy’s campaign, did not confirm Murphy’s bid for Senate when reached by Axios, the site reported.

Murphy’s campaign would prove challenging against Rubio, who was readily re-elected in 2016, but it would signal a major congressional shift in Central Florida, the Orlando Sentinel previously reported. The Republican Legislature is slated to redraw district lines in 2022, and Murphy’s candidacy could result in the Legislature drawing Republican-leaning districts to avoid her or angle for her seat.

Murphy previously called Rubio a “career politician” and criticized him for being out of touch with his constituents “in the real world.”

“[Rubio] has used the Senate as a stepping stone for his political ambitions as opposed to serving the people of Florida,” she said. “And I happen to believe that the people of Florida deserve a senator, at least one, who is more focused on what their issues are at their kitchen tables than on their next political position.”

Read the full report at Axios.

krice@orlandosentinel.com