>Stephanie Murphy
Never heard of her until now
The ‘Velvet Hammer’ leads resurgent Blue Dogs
Rep. Stephanie Murphy is leading a newly powerful faction of moderate House Democrats.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a veiled shot at Rep. Stephanie Murphy during a closed-door meeting after the centrist Florida Democrat bucked party leaders on a contentious immigration vote.
Pelosi said Republicans were eager to exploit fissures in the early weeks of the new majority, according to a person in the room, and Democrats newly enjoying exclusive committee assignments — like Murphy — can’t be breaking ranks.
Murphy, who was sitting only a few feet away and wearing a “Wonder Woman” T-shirt beneath her blazer, didn’t respond. But months later, she remains unapologetic about the vote, arguing battleground Democrats shouldn’t be expected to fall in line simply to avoid embarrassing leadership on procedural votes.
“Decisions aren’t black or white sometimes, and at the end of the day, members have to vote their districts, especially the ones, I think, who are in more vulnerable seats,” Murphy said in an interview in her Capitol office.
In just her second term, Murphy is suddenly a critical figure in the House as co-chief of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition. Once on the verge of extinction, the Blue Dogs nearly tripled their membership after the 2018 elections and now have 27 members.
And Murphy and the Blue Dogs are proving themselves to be a force — challenging leadership and the caucus’ progressive wing with real success.
Pelosi and her deputies yanked a budget bill from the floor last month in part because of complaints from moderates that it was too expensive. This month, the Blue Dogs are holding up a $15-an-hour minimum wage bill — a key priority for the left — as they look to soften it for rural areas, though Murphy herself supports it. Murphy also helped secure changes sought by Blue Dogs to Democrats’ landmark campaign finance overhaul.
Continued in link
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/07/stephanie-murphy-democrats-blue-dogs-moderates-1305398
https://bluedogcaucus-costa.house.gov/members
https://murphy.house.gov/biography/about-the-district.htm