JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Rep. Jim Murphy announced his candidacy for House speaker pro tem Tuesday, promising to be a “liaison and voice of the caucus.”
In his letter to colleagues and provided to The Missouri Times, Murphy touted his decades-long career in business management and experience in sales and marketing as giving him the tools needed for the leadership role. He said he’s built the relationships necessary in the upper chamber and with the Governor’s Office that would be beneficial to the caucus.
“I believe a pro tem should be someone who is not afraid to stand up for what is right, and I have never been afraid to take on tough issues,” Murphy said.
Murphy has represented St. Louis County’s HD 94 since 2019. He is a member of the Insurance and Pensions committees as well as the Special Committee on Small Business.
“Some say that we should all be guided by an unbending set of principles, and for the most part we are,” Murphy said. “The vast majority of our caucus stands up for life, the Second Amendment, and limited government, but we all represent our own districts that have local issues. The most important lesson I’ve learned over the last three years is that we must respect each other, even when we disagree. Every member of this body earned the votes of his/her constituents and deserves respect.”
Rep. Ben Baker also threw his hat in the ring for the House speaker pro tem position Monday. The election will be held in the fall of 2022 after Election Day.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
