Democratic voters will have two choices for Pennsylvania Attorney General when they go to the polls Tuesday in the primary election.
Patrick Murphy, 38, is running against Kathleen Kane in the primary election Tuesday, April 24 with the winner hoping to become the first elected Democratic state attorney general.
Murphy spent two tours of duty overseas following 9/11. He served five years in the Army JAG Corps, prosecuting in New York, North Carolina, and overseas. Prior to his time in combat, Murphy taught constitutional law at West Point. Following his deployments, Murphy was elected to Congress and served as the representative from Pennsylvania’s 8th district for two terms, but was defeated in November 2010 by Republican Mike Fitzpatrick.
Murphy said he would like to see certain aspects of the attorney general’s office change.
“First, we’re going to be much more aggressive when it comes to child sexual predators,” Murphy said. “As a prosecutor and a father, I’ve seen how it really rips apart those families, and what you really need to do is be more aggressive out there.”
He would like to see better partnering from the state level down to the local level in going after sexual predators.
In Congress, Murphy helped repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and worked to create the Office of Financial Protection for Older Adults, to prevent financial exploitation of seniors.
Murphy pledges to stand up for the “democratic values” of the people in this state.
“When it comes to a woman’s right to choose, when it comes to cracking down on environmental crimes — especially when it comes to the Marcellus shale industry,” Murphy said, “and really fighting for consumer protection and those seniors who are the most vulnerable in our society.”
Following the primary election, the Democratic nominee will go up against Republican Dave Freed in the general election to be the state’s next chief prosecutor.
Murphy lives in Bristol, PA with his wife Jenni, daughter Maggie, and his son, Jack. He is currently a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP in Philadelphia.
Essential Public Radio's Mary Wilson interviewed Patrick Murphy for this story.
