Murphy to Run for State Governor
Chevy Chase, Maryland (January 21, 2010) – Today, Brian Murphy of Chevy Chase announced his candidacy for Governor of Maryland. Murphy is the President of the Plimhimmon Group, an investment firm, which has received national media attention for its first investment, The Smith Island Baking Company. Although Murphy has spent his entire career in the private sector, he is passionate about creating opportunities for all Marylanders.
"I love Maryland, and my family and I are proud to call Maryland home. Maryland is at its best when people have choices. This is true for education, this is true in business, and this is true for our government. Like most Marylanders, 63% to be exact, I’m disappointed in our current Governor’s broken promises," said Murphy. "But no candidate is willing to stand in opposition to Governor O’Malley. Maryland can do better. Maryland deserves a choice."
Murphy grew up on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and graduated from Easton High School. He attended the University of Maryland on an academic scholarship, and was a walk-on member of Maryland’s 1996 ACC Championship-winning soccer team. From 1999 to 2008, Brian worked for Constellation Energy in Baltimore. He is proud of the company he helped build, and the talented people with whom he worked. Brian earned an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and in 2009 he founded the Plimhimmon Group. He and his wife have three young children, and a fourth on the way.
"I wasn’t born in Maryland, but I got here as fast as I could. We don’t want to leave, but our anti-business climate is making staying here unaffordable. It doesn’t have to be that way." Murphy says a return to principled governance can create opportunity for all Marylanders. "Three years ago, Governor O’Malley promised to deliver electric rate relief, but that was an empty promise. Instead, he raised the state sales tax by 20%, crippling every Marylander. The people haven’t forgotten. He has proposed balancing our current budget with borrowed money. When the money runs out, he will likely just raise taxes, again, and destroy even more jobs." Although O’Malley has broken promises and has poor approval ratings, no candidate has emerged to challenge him. Murphy has no previous political experience, but it was at Jack Kemp’s funeral when he felt the call to action.
"My family worships with the Kemp family. I never met Jack, but we attended the funeral to support his family." While there, Murphy heard multiple tributes to Kemp's passion for an America in which every American can thrive. "I kept asking myself, 'What would Jack say?' And I finally realized he would ask if I was going to complain, or if I was going to offer a clear alternative. Well, I’ve decided to offer an alternative."
"America is a marketplace for ideas. But in Maryland, there is no balance. Someone must stand for opportunity, job creation, and fiscal responsibility. I am fully committed to seeing my campaign to completion, and I intend to win. Mine will be a principled, transparent, and issues based campaign. I am interviewing for a job, and I fully intend to be hired."
