Fast to rise and fall, Pat Murphy is back at it

Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy announced yesterday that he will join the 2012 race for Pennsylvania attorney general.

“I feel that, especially now, we need to do all we can to stand up for those who don’t have a voice and to protect them against criminals on the street and criminal actions from those that have special interests and prey on those most vulnerable in our society,” the 37-year-old attorney from Bucks County said.

The state attorney general seat has not been occupied by a Democrat since it became an elected position three decades ago, but Murphy believes he is uniquely qualified to be the first: “I was America’s first Iraq war vet elected to Congress and the second Democrat ever to win the congressional seat in the 8th district,” he said.

Murphy says he has no regrets about his time as congressman despite his sudden loss to Mike Fitzpatrick last fall after two terms. “When I served in Congress for four years, I voted with my conscience for what I thought was best for the families in my district and in the country,” he said. “I was not one of those politicians that cared more about political re-election than I did what I knew was right.”

As an “outsider to Harrisburg,” Murphy pledged to combat public corruption while protecting seniors and other vulnerable populations.