State Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R-32) announced his intention to run against U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-7) in Florida’s potentially newly drawn congressional district as a result of 2020 U.S. Census data and Florida picking up two additional congressional seats.
BREAKING: Based on projected maps in Florida… this morning I OFFICIALLY filed for the new District 7 congressional seat.
This pits my campaign against America-Last, corrupt Democrat @RepStephMurphy.
Support my #AmericaFirst campaign here: https://t.co/lEDAt25K8s pic.twitter.com/UzfD2oKRci
— Rep. Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) June 7, 2021
“Based on projected maps in Florida… this morning I OFFICIALLY filed for the new District 7 congressional seat,” Sabatini tweeted. “This pits my campaign against America-Last, corrupt Democrat @RepStephMurphy.”
Sabatini has become known in recent years around Florida’s political landscape as one of “the staunchest and most vocal conservative” voices.
Sabatini is highly critical of Murphy and her policies which he says are a reflection of “corporate interest groups” in Washington.
“Murphy is weak on immigration and wants open-borders to help her friends in big business who have little interests in raising the wages of blue collar workers who live and work in our district,” he said to Breitbart. “I am campaigning to restore the American dream for the middle class that has been hollowed out by corporate interest groups that Nancy Pelosi, Stephanie Murphy, and Kamala Harris sip martinis within Washington, DC.”
In his opening launch video, he considers himself a pro-Trump conservative who has worked in the Florida Legislature to “crack down on Big Tech censorship, to prevent election fraud, to end illegal immigration, to protect the Second Amendment, to ban transgender men from competing in girls’ sports, and to create term limits for every politician.”
Murphy, who has served in Congress since 2017, has described herself as a “proud capitalist” after she and her family escaped communist-controlled Vietnam when she was a child and has, at times, separated herself from much of the Democratic Party’s platform, potentially appealing to moderate voters. She has also given indicators she might be opposed to tax increases floated by President Joe Biden’s administration.
Murphy was long rumored to be a candidate to challenge U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, but opted against it when U.S. Rep. Val Demings (D-10) announced her intention to challenge Rubio.
Some have said Murphy’s congressional seat could be vulnerable and likely one of Florida’s most competitive. However, Sabatini remains confident, if elected, he would continue to do what he has done in the Florida Legislature.
“As a conservative fighter,” Sabatini explained, “I’ve fought for Floridians at the state level, and I’ll do the same in Congress.”
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and the Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
