Former Florida U.S. Representative Stephanie Murphy running for Mayor of Orange County
Orange County, Florida is home to the City of Orlando.
For several years, Stephanie Murphy was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the 7th District of Florida. She is now a candidate for elected office at a more local level.
Murphy has entered the 2026 campaign for Mayor of Orange County, Florida. She becomes the fourth, and almost certainly most high-profile, candidate to enter the fray. Incumbent Jerry Demings, husband of Murphy’s former House colleague Val Demings, is not eligible to join the race due to term limits.
Murphy was first elected to the U.S. House in 2016, defeating Republican incumbent and ex-House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica. She was re-elected twice before opting not to seek another term in 2022.
Her previous career included being a staffer at the United States Department of Defense. For her contributions there, Murphy was awarded the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Award. Additionally, she was a faculty member at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.
Originally named Dang Thi Ngoc Dung, Stephanie Murphy is a native of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. When she was an infant, she and her family were rescued by the U.S. Navy after the fled the Vietnamese Communist regime and ended up stranded at sea. The family eventually settled in Virginia.
Murphy is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and Georgetown University. She has two children with her husband Sean.