Primary Election Date: 08/14/2012
General Election Date: 11/06/2012

Who Am I?

My name is Patrick Murphy and I am a CPA, running for Congress against Allen West in Florida’s 18th Congressional District. I currently serve as Vice President of Coastal Environmental Services, which specializes in disaster relief and environmental cleanup. With this company, I spent six months in the Gulf of Mexico leading the company's efforts to clean up oil spilled during the BP disaster. Coastal Environmental is an affiliate of Coastal Construction, one of the leading construction firms in the country and has been named one of the nation’s top “green contractors."

I was born in the Florida Keys and raised in South Florida. I spent much of my early life on construction sites and worked as a day laborer while in college. After earning dual bachelor's degrees from the University of Miami in accounting and finance, I joined the respected accounting firm of Deloitte and Touche as a CPA, where I served as an external auditor of Fortune 500 companies. I am also the Co-Chair of Coastal Cares, which guides the firm's projects for and large contributions to local and regional charities, such as the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County, United Way, Camillus House, and Education Fund/Teach-A-Thon.

Why Am I Running?

I was outraged by the rhetoric and divisiveness coming out of the GOP during the 2010 election. Leading the extremism was Allen West, whom ultimately defeated Congressman Ron Klein in CD-22.

Instead of staying at home and yelling at the television, I decided in January of 2012 to explore challenging West. Since launching the campaign, we’ve received tremendous support from voters and have consistently been one of the top fundraisers among Congressional challengers in the country.

I am committed to helping Democrats retake the majority in Congress and will be a steadfast and loyal vote for a progressive agenda in the House.

Hold Me Accountable!

As a CPA, I am acutely aware of the inequities within the tax code. The sheer volume and complexity of the tax code are one of the main inhibiting factors to economic growth. One of my top two goals will be to address these tax inequities and inefficiencies, so that we can use saved or additional revenue to protect our Social Security and Medicare, bolster education, and reinvest in infrastructure. Identifying areas of waste and mismanagement was one of my responsibilities as a Fortune 500 auditor at Delloite and Touche, and it’s a skill I think Congress is in desperate need of.

My second top priority is to protect our civil liberties, which have been under constant attack by the far right. From gay marriage and privacy, to habeas corpus and net neutrality, many of our liberties have been slowly eroded. Many rights that Americans should have are being obstructed. When people like my opponent, Allen West, are elected despite their vocal opposition to inclusiveness and moderation, there is something very amiss in this country. I plan to be a leader in Congress on these types of issues.

My DFA values:

Part of how we embody the value of community is by finding and recognizing the decency of our neighbors. If we are to be a true community, we must protect the civil liberties and concept of equality for ALL people, including those of a different sexual orientation. Florida has been very slow to do this and it’s my hope that we can help foster and inspire a broader sense of community by leading from Washington, DC.

We must work to protect those who need protection the most. These include those who are finding themselves struggling in this economy, who need protection from the corporations and financial institutions that are threatening their homes and assets. Protecting the rights of workers, the unemployed, and the middle class in general will be a major part of my role in Congress.

It used to be that liberty was protected by the rule of law, but more and more it seems that the rule of law is eroding our liberties. Our privacy is disappearing, our freedom of speech is increasingly threatened, and even the guarantee of a right to a fair trial has ended with the recent laws allowing indefinite detention of American citizens. As a congressman, I believe it is critical for us to defend our country, but do it in a way that preserves the liberty and rights of our people.

My Campaign is People-Powered!

While it’s based in Florida, we have been working to make this a national campaign from the first week: We have been regularly reaching out to progressives across this country via Facebook, Twitter, ads and blogs, to gain their support against Tea Party darling Allen West. To date, the campaign has over 11,000 social media followers and fans.

Beyond our work online, I am spending a great deal of time visiting with activists in our district and beyond. I am a regular at rallies and local meetings, and last summer visited with activists in Minneapolis at Netroots Nation. We are gearing up our field program and have hundreds of volunteers signed up and ready to help out.