Becomes first Democrat from Mount Laurel to Serve in Assembly and First Assemblywoman in Twenty Years to Serve 7th District
Carol Murphy was sworn into the General Assembly on Tuesday to begin serving her first term representing the 7th legislative district in Burlington County, becoming the first Democrat from Mount Laurel to ever serve in the state legislature and the first Assemblywoman to represent the district in 20 years.
The Assemblywoman was one of five new Democrats sworn in on Tuesday when the new legislature reorganized, boosting the Democratic majority to 54-26, its largest since 1974.
Murphy, who resides with her husband Michael in Mount Laurel, assumes the seat vacated by Troy Singleton who was elected to the State Senate in November. She joins Assemblyman Herb Conaway, Jr., M.D. in representing the 7th legislative district, which includes the municipalities of Beverly, Bordentown City, Bordentown Township, Burlington City, Burlington Township, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Delran, Edgewater Park, Fieldsboro, Florence, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Palmyra, Riverside, Riverton, and Willingboro.
“I understand the challenges facing working families in New Jersey,” said Murphy (D-Burlington). “Having lived paycheck-to-paycheck, having paid my own way through college, having served as a caregiver to both of my parents before they passed, I can relate to the struggles many people in our state face on a daily basis. One of the reasons I ran for Assembly is so that I could channel these experiences into real life solutions to address the rising cost of living in this state, the crushing burden of student loan debt, and the everyday needs of our working families. Today that work begins.”
As the proud daughter of a Bronze Star US Army Veteran, Murphy learned the importance of public service from an early age and has dedicated her life to making a difference. For the past fourteen years she has worked in state government, fighting on the front lines for working class priorities.
She first served as Community Relations Manager for the New Jersey Schools Development Authority where she established a transparent government records division and worked closely with the community to address local and environmental concerns that resulted in the building and modernizing of public schools across New Jersey, moving classrooms into the 21st century.
More recently, she served as a policy director for the state legislature where she worked tirelessly for pay equity, raising the minimum wage, funding women’s healthcare, fully funding education, growing the economy, reducing the property tax burden, standing up for LGBTQ rights, and reducing gun violence, which included a groundbreaking law that she worked with state lawmakers and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords to pass that removes domestic violence abusers’ access to firearms.
In her spare time, Murphy serves as a member of the Girl Scouts Trefoil Society, as a Girl Scouts Delegate for Burlington County, and as the founder of Maria’s Women United, a South Jersey organization dedicated to supporting Democratic women.