Rep. Tim Murphy (R)

The congressman from the 18th District is Tim Murphy, a Republican elected in 2002. He grew up in Cleveland in a family of 11 children. He graduated from Wheeling Jesuit University, got a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and became a child psychologist. He worked in several Pittsburgh area hospitals and was an adjunct faculty member in public health and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh. He became well-known locally as “Dr. Tim,” offering advice in television appearances and on radio talk shows. He also co-authored the book, The Angry Child: Regaining Control When Your Child is Out of Control. (After getting elected to Congress, he co-authored another book titled, Overcoming Passive-Aggression, behavior that he sees on a regular basis on Capitol Hill.) In 1996, Murphy was elected to the state Senate, where he sponsored a new Patient Bill of Rights and increased funding for medical research. Redistricters drew the 18th District with Murphy in mind. The new district included the house of incumbent Democratic Rep. Frank Mascara, but he opted to run in the newly drawn 12th District. Murphy was unopposed in the Republican primary, and presented himself as an experienced and accomplished legislator who opposed abortion rights and supported gun ownership. He had extensive support from state and national Republicans and outspent Democratic nominee Jack Machek, a school district administrator, $894,000 to $126,000. Murphy won 60%-40%, an impressive showing in an open seat race.

In the House, Murphy quickly gained recognition as president of his freshman class. In 2005, he won a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, giving him an opportunity to focus on health care issues. He focused in particular on programs for military veterans with mental illness and on improving security for their medical records. In 2007, he backed the Democrats’ plan to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which he said had “a proven track record of helping families make sure their children lead healthy lives.” He worked on legislation, enacted in 2008, to provide parity for mental health coverage in health insurance policies. In 2009, Murphy called for creation of a trust fund to pay physicians a few dollars for every patient that converts to an electronic personal health record. “Everybody has a stake in healthcare IT,” he said.

Murphy has not been seriously challenged for re-election. In 2006, he escaped what likely would have been a competitive contest when former state Treasurer Barbara Hafer decided against a challenge. In 2008, consultant Beth Hafer, Barbara Hafer’s daughter, was the favorite of Democratic leaders. But she was a disappointing candidate, and finished second in the Democratic primary. Businessman Steve O’Donnell, the nominee, got little traction against Murphy, who won 64%-36%.