A Note from Pat

Hello,

I'm Pat Murphy. Thanks for visiting my website. I want to tell you a little bit about who I am and what I've done. More importantly, I hope this starts a conversation about what we can do together for Iowans in the future.

I grew up the ninth of ten kids in a working class family in Dubuque. My dad was a union member; my mom took care of us kids. My parents didn't have a lot but they instilled in us the values that still guide me today - treating people with respect, the importance of hard work, and standing up for what you believe. Times weren't always easy, but we persevered.

My wife Teri and I raised four kids of our own in Dubuque and we're proud to see Jake, John, Joe and Natalie embody those values as they start careers and families of their own.

Teri and I always made sure not to just talk about values to our kids but to live them. That's why we've dedicated our professional lives to standing up for what we believe. I've worked in the health care industry and as an educator at Northeast Iowa Community College. Drawn to public service, I became a legislator and have proudly represented Dubuque in the Iowa House. Teri is a nurse who stood up and helped organize fellow nurses to make sure they were being treated fairly and earning a fair wage.

I've worked across the aisle when it meant bettering the lives of Iowans and stood up to the right wing when they threatened our future. I was honored when my colleagues made me the only Democratic Speaker of the House in a generation.

In the legislature, I worked with my colleagues to increase the minimum wage, raise teacher pay, expand preschool, honor our veterans, grow our renewable energy, create quality job opportunities, defend the rights of workers, protect a woman's right to make her own health care decisions, and stand up for equality for all Iowans, including the right for gay and lesbian Iowans to marry.

It's a crucial time for our country. The middle-class is under attack, our children's futures are at stake and the ability for Iowa seniors to have secure retirements are in jeopardy. Senator Harkin and Congressman Braley have championed middle-class families. I've spent my life fighting for the values my parents taught me and I'm running to continue that fight in Congress.

I've worked hard to help elect Democratic candidates over the years, knocking doors in nearly every county in this district. I look forward to spending more time across the district over the coming months to have a conversation with you about the future and what's at stake for middle-class Iowa families. I want to earn your vote.

Thanks,