Murphy Reflects on Election
MURPHY
The New Britain Herald
Tia Albright
Boston University Washington News Service
November 15, 2006
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15– Connecticut’s competitive House and Senate races made headlines across the nation, and now that the voters have spoken the 33-year-old winner of the 5th District congressional race is reflecting on the results.
Christopher Murphy, one of the youngest members of the 110th Congress, said that the intertwining of special interests and lobbying with policy decisions in Washington sparked the change.
“I think voters made a clear statement in the 5th District Nov. 7 that they wanted things to change in Washington,” he said.
During the campaign the candidates debated key issues, including health care, energy costs and employment.
“[The voters] wanted their issues and their problems to come first,” Murphy said. “The voice of the district won over the special interests in this election.”
He said that going into the election he felt that the conventional wisdom that the challenger is always the underdog and can’t win against a longstanding power was incorrect.
Murphy handily defeated Republican Rep. Nancy Johnson, who after 12 terms raised twice as much money as Murphy did. This is the second time Murphy went up against Johnson. In 1996, he served as campaign manager for Charlotte Koskoff, who came close to defeating the long-standing congresswoman.
“Oftentimes we don’t try to open doors just because we think they’re locked,” he said. “And oftentimes they’re ready to be opened.”
In his victory speech Murphy told supporters, “For the rest of your lives, do not ever, ever, let anyone tell you ever again that a thing cannot be done.”
He reiterates that message as he spends his first week in Washington attending meetings, holding press conferences, picking his office and adjusting to the responsibility he has undertaken.
“I hope that our election was a signal to people in Connecticut and throughout the country that there are no obstacles too great when the stakes are high,” Murphy said.
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