Murphy ‘100 percent’ not running for president
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy is definitely not running for president in 2020, despite appearing on multiple short lists as a potential candidate.
“I’m flattered that I’ve shown up on some of these lists, hopefully it means I’m doing a decent job in Washington,” the Connecticut Democrat said Wednesday after a news conference at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, where he was discussing airport security amid the federal government shutdown.
“I don’t think that I have to run for president to make a difference for Connecticut or for the issues that I care about it,” he said.
Murphy later tweeted an official announcement, “let me be 100 percent clear: I’m not running in 2020. I love the job I have now. And at least two or three Democrats in the Senate need to stay behind to keep the fight going here!”
Several of his colleagues in the Senate have lined up to run for president, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Kamala Harris, D-Calif.
Murphy’s top communications aide, Chris Harris, announced this week he is leaving Murphy’s staff to join Harris’ campaign.
“I’m really excited for Chris,” Murphy said. “He’s been a great friend and staffer.”
Nancy Wyman, who officially was to become chairwoman of the Connecticut Democratic Party Wednesday evening, called Murphy’s decision unfortunate for the country, but great for the state of Connecticut.
“He’s been a great representative for our state and he will always have my backing no matter what he decides to do,” she said. “Especially with the president we have now, we need people in Senate who will stand up to him.”
Murphy did not say who he would support in 2020.
He was easily re-elected to a second term in the U.S. Senate in November, and has long implied he wouldn’t be in the presidential running. But that hasn’t stopped his name from being included in the pool of potential candidates on lists by outlets such as The Washington Post and Politico.
Murphy’s popularity among progressives has soared since 2012 thanks to his activism on gun control. At 45, he is one of the youngest members of the Senate, and served in the House of Representatives for Connecticut’s congressional 5th District.
“I certainly haven’t been traveling to Iowa or New Hampshire like other folks have,” Murphy said Wednesday, adding, “I haven’t been acting like a candidate for president for quite some time.”
On whether it’s something he would consider in the future, he said, “It’s not something I would rule out.”