Greg Murphy is the Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, North Carolina’s 3rd District. The Congressional election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2020.
He is facing Democratic candidate Daryl Farrow.
Name: Greg Murphy
Race: U.S. House of Representatives, North Carolina’s 3rd District
Party: Republican
Biography: Dr. Gregory Murphy, originally from Raleigh, graduated magna cum laude from Davidson College in 1985. He then attended UNC School of Medicine graduating with honors and a member of AOA. After doing his residency in urology and renal transplantation at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, he and his wife settled in Greenville, N.C. to begin his practice. He and his wife, Wendy, have three children all are either working or in graduate school. He was formerly president of Eastern Urological Associates in Greenville and affiliate professor and chief of the Division of Urology at the ECU School of Medicine. He recently served as Davidson College’s alumni president and was on its Board of Trustees. Outside of work he has traveled extensively for the last 35 years to third world countries, including India, several parts of Africa, Nicaragua and Haiti, as a medical missionary.
Murphy’s professional career has been primarily one of clinical practice and administrative leadership positions. His surgical practice site is Vidant Medical Center, a 1,000 bed level 1 Trauma Center, which serves 29 eastern North Carolina counties. He served for three years as chief of staff of the Medical Center. He previously served on the Board of the N.C. Urological Association, on the Board of Directors of the South Eastern Section of the American Urological Association and on the Executive Board of the Judicial and Ethics Committee for the American Urological Association as well as on the By-Laws Committee. He is a member in good standing of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine.
As a newcomer to politics Murphy served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. During his second term in the General Assembly, he served as senior chair of Health Policy and chair of Health and Human Services Appropriations. While he was successful in getting a variety of legislation passed, he was the primary sponsor of both the STOP Act and the HOPE Act, North Carolina’s two main legislative actions to combat the opioid crisis. He led efforts to combat waste, fraud and abuse in the state’s Medicaid system which saved the state hundreds of millions of dollars during his tenure.
Murphy, along with 25 other candidates, ran in a special election in 2019 to replace Congressman Walter B. Jones, Jr., who passed away after serving the citizens of the N.C. District 3 for more than 22 years. Running against 16 other Republicans, he came in first in the primary, but had to compete in a runoff two months later. He won the run off by more than 20 points and then won the general election two months later with 61% of the vote. As a freshman in the U.S. Congress, he serves on the Science and Technology Committee as well as the Education and Labor Committee.
Why should the people of North Carolina re-elect you to Congress?
When I took office, I hit the ground running. I fulfilled one of my top campaign promises and that was to open up new district offices. I felt it important to have a local and accessible presence throughout the district. We now have four offices in eastern North Carolina to better serve the people of the Third District. We even pay less rent for four offices than the previous administration did for just one!
What is the most important legislative issue facing North Carolina, and what is your position on it?
In 2020, the pandemic has changed our entire world. I am committed to the health and safety of our citizens and helping them get their lives and livelihoods back as soon as safely possible. We need to give our citizens support in helping them get back on their feet in as much a fiscally responsible way as possible.
What is the top challenge facing North Carolina, and how would you address it if elected?
Amid this unprecedented health crisis, keeping people healthy and getting them back to work is the most important issue facing North Carolinians. We can do both smartly. The vaccine will go a long way towards achieving this end. I will continue to be a voice for those who want their jobs back and I will also do all I can to support the vaccine development process.
In light of national gun control debates, what, if any, gun laws would you support changing?
I support and will protect Second Amendment rights for law-abiding citizens. We can do that and also keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Especially in light is so much violence kept unchecked by local officials, citizens have to have the ability to defend themselves.
What are the top three issues created by the coronavirus pandemic in North Carolina, and how would you plan to address them?
1. Keeping people healthy. That means continuing to protect our most vulnerable: The elderly and those with underlying conditions. We must get our people vaccinated to move forward.
2. Getting people back to work. There are still thousands of people who are unemployed due to the draconian and inconsistent restrictions imposed by Gov. Cooper.
3. Getting schools open. Children, especially those at greatest risk such as rural students and minorities, are significantly behind educationally due to online learning. It’s imperative that we get them back in the classroom.