WASHINGTON — Representative Stephanie Murphy is considering a run for higher office. The three-term congresswoman recently unveiled a new campaign to reach voters and hired a top Democratic operative.

“It’s no secret that Florida Democrats have fallen short over the last few election cycles,” Murphy said in an interview with Spectrum News.

Months after winning her third term, Murphy is testing the waters, considering a bid to unseat Republican Senator Marco Rubio in 2022 or Republican Senator Rick Scott in 2024. 

“I’m proud to launch an effort, called Cast Forward, that essentially is an effort to do a listening tour around the state, so that we can better be responsive to Floridians,” she explained. 

The virtual listening tour was recently announced in a video posted on her campaign website. Murphy, the first Vietnamese-American woman elected to Congress, speaks about her family’s experience fleeing a communist-run country, a message that could make her appear tough on socialism. 

“She comes from the I-4 corridor, she has a very important story,” said Christian Ulvert, a prominent Democratic strategist in the state of Florida. 

"This election cycle, Democrats are going to be very aggressive to confront some of the misinformation from the last cycle on socialism and be clear about who we are in our values,” he said. 

Murphy is a top recruit to challenge Rubio, Ulvert said. Her background as a centrist Democrat could appeal to voters that sent Republicans to the Senate in 2016 and 2018.

“Florida is home to a swath of NPA voters, no party affiliates. Those are the ones that are going to determine the destiny of Florida, and any candidate statewide needs to be prepared,” Ulvert said.

Murphy’s colleague in the House, Representative Val Demings, has also been approached to run against Rubio. 

“Primaries these days are rarely uncontested, so I expect it to be one, two, maybe three candidates,” Ulvert explained. 

Murphy said she doesn’t have a timeline for when she will make a decision, but she said this initiative isn’t about her. 

“One of the key elements of running successful campaigns is message,” Murphy said. “I’m excited to listen to folks and listen to voters.”