FOX 35 exclusive: Stephanie Murphy to enter Orange County mayor's race

Stephanie Murphy announces run for Orange County mayor

Former U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy announced on Wednesday that she is running for Orange County mayor.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Former U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy announced Wednesday on FOX 35's Good Day Orlando that she was entering the race for Orange County mayor.

She joined FOX 35's Amy Kaufeldt for her first TV interview to talk about her candidacy and the issues she thinks are most impacting Orange County. You can watch the full interview in the video player above.

"I'm raising my family in this community, and I want to make it the most livable, safe, affordable community that's out there," Murphy said. "Right now, Orlando is experiencing significant growth, and we have to be able to manage that growth to make it work for everybody here."

Murphy is one of four people who have announced their intent to run for Orange County mayor. Current Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings will be term-limited after 2026.

What are her priorities?

During her exclusive interview on FOX 35's Good Day Orlando, Murphy said her focus is on making Orlando and Orange County one of the best and safest places to live. Some of her priorities, she said, include housing affordability and availability and well-paying jobs.

"I think we have to increase the number of housing units that we have and that takes taking a look at the regulations and making it easier for housing units to be on the market," she said. "You also have to address well-paying jobs. People have to be able to afford their living. Anybody that's working 40 hours a week shouldn't have to skimp to make ends meet. I think we have to address both sides of that."

Another focus of hers is transportation, she said, noting investment in roads, bridges, and rail.

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Who else is in the race?

Candidates interested in running for Orange County Mayor have until June 12, 2026, to file their intent.

So far, at least three people have filed that intent:

• Orange County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell
• Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe
• Tech entrepreneur Chris Messina

Murphy's name has not yet been added to the Orange County Elections website as of Wednesday afternoon. Former Congresswoman Val Demings, wife of Jerry Demings, was rumored to try and succeed her husband, but announced last month that she would not run.  

Important dates to know:

• Primary election: Aug. 18, 2026
• General election: Nov. 3, 2026

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Who is Stephanie Murphy?

Dig deeper:

Murphy was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Sept. 16, 1978. Her family left the country in 1979. 

She grew up in Northern Virginia and completed her undergraduate studies at the College of William & Mary before then enrolling in the Master of Science in Foreign Service program at Georgetown University. She worked as a national security specialist at the United States Department of Defense, an executive at Sungate Capital and a professor of business at Rollins College.

Murphy, a Democrat, made history when she was the first Vietnamese-American woman elected to Congress in 2016. 

She served as the U.S. representative for Florida's seventh congressional district from 2017 to 2023. During that time, Murphy served on the Ways and Means Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, Small Business Committee, and the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan 6th Attack on the Capitol. She left her House seat by choice.

Murphy is a mother of two children, ages 14 and 11.