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Overcast Will Murphy joins Democrats hoping to replace Santos
The last year has been a politically unique situation in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, with the circus that is U.S. Rep. George Santos propelling the North Shore into the national spotlight in a less-than flattering manner. Farmingdale resident Will Murphy is hoping to win the Democratic nomination and “restore our faith in government.”
Murphy, an attorney and a law professor, is one of the several Democratic candidates who will be running to potentially replace incumbent Santos. Although the 39-year old has never held or run for public office, he is unfazed. Murphy said he believes the district deserves a candidate “who’s not interested in partisan politics.”
“Back when the Constitution was drafted, the intention was not for people to go down to Washington, D.C., and spend an entire career there and profit themselves the entire time,” Murphy said. “I mean, what we really have there is a bad reality show going on.”
Despite registering as a Democrat for the primaries, Murphy said he believes party politics are one of the biggest issues facing the country, and that his goal is to offer district voters a candidate with a goal is to improve the district, not use it as a launchpad to further his political career. To that end, Murphy stated that should he be elected, he would not seek more than three terms in office and would not receive any outside income while in office.
Murphy added that he has been dismayed by political discourse on the national stage in the last few years. After being disgusted by the antics of representatives like Marjorie Taylor-Green and Lauren Boebert, he said that Santos’ election was the last straw.
“When George Santos came on the scene . . . and his fabrications and his lies and his conning of the people in our district came to light, well, that’s when it became real,” Murphy said. “This affects me, it affects my children, my family, my neighbors and my community.”
The Farmingdale resident said he worked for years as a federal court litigator, where he specialized in representing labor unions and victims of employment discrimination. Murphy earned an undergraduate degree from New York University and a law degree from Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. He currently runs a private law practice representing local businesses, while also teaching
ull-time at St. John’s University.
He plans to represent the real people of the district, he said, and expressed support for local police and law enforcement organizations as well as emphasizing the need to support the school districts and teachers in the community. The first-time candidate also expressed his support for abortion and women’s rights in the state, one of the many contentious issues being discussed in the House of Representatives since the landmark overturning of Roe vs. Wade.
“The brave men and women of our law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect us, but they are often called upon to do jobs that are nothing like the ones they’ve signed up or trained for… we need to reinvest in them,” Murphy said. “And the same goes for teachers. Public education has never been more critical.”
One of Murphy’s main goals, should he win the primary and subsequently defeat Santos, is to end the state and local tax deduction, an issue which has been front and center in New York state and which Santos has previously written a bill for, which remains unsupported by any other members of Congress.
Murphy said that Santos’ numerous controversies have rendered him ineffective to help his constituents and added that unlike the scandal-laden Santos, he would actually be able to work with fellow members of Congress.
Murphy believes he is the only candidate with the knowledge and integrity to restore civic pride and added that he is the only candidate living, working and raising a family in the community. Murphy is the father of two sons, Connor, 3 and Aidan, an infant, and is happily married to his wife, Megan, who is also an attorney.
Murphy described his family as “the light of my life,” and added that they were a big part of his decision to run for Congress. As a parent of young children, he is particularly concerned with the threat of gun violence in the country and would do everything he could to see children in the district safe from such weapons.
He is also focused on providing more federal funding to special education services and early intervention. This is particularly important to him, he said, since his son Connor has some developmental delays, and he’s experienced the struggle many parents have gone through trying to get specialized resources.
“Not every family looks like mine, and not every family involves wedding rings and babies. I understand that and I celebrate that,” Murphy said. “But at the end of the day, this is a district that is defined for people from Manhasset to Queens and all the way to the Nassau-Suffolk border by families of all shapes and sizes, and I am the family candidate.”
