Mike Murphy (political consultant)

For other persons named Michael Murphy, see Michael Murphy (disambiguation).

Michael Ellis "Mike" Murphy (born 1962) is a Republican political consultant.^[1] He has advised such nationally prominent Republicans as John McCain, Jeb Bush, John Engler, Tommy Thompson, Christie Whitman, Lamar Alexander, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.^[1]^[2] He was, until January 2006, an adviser to Mitt Romney, the Governor of Massachusetts and an about-to-become candidate for the Republican presidential nomination for the 2008 presidential election.^[3] He stepped down as a result of his role as chief strategist to Governor Romney as well as Senator McCain, who were both widely expected to be Republican challengers in the primaries of the 2008 Presidential election. Murphy said he had decided to be neutral in a contest between two close clients, although he would advise each informally.

Murphy is a founding principal of DC Navigators, an issues management (political consulting) firm with offices in Washington DC, Sacramento, California and Tallahassee, Florida.^[1]

Murphy studided Russian and International Relations while attending Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, dropping out his senior year.^[1] He served as a fellow at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics.^[2] For the 2008 elections, Murphy is serving as a regular commentator on NBC's Meet the Press. Murphy lives in Los Angeles and also works as a writer and producer in the entertainment industry.^[1] He has written for The Weekly Standard and The Hotline as well as writing and performing occasional radio commentaries on NPR's All Things Considered.^[2]