State Senator Matt Murphy was elected to the Illinois Senate in November 2006, defeating Democrat Peter Gutzmer in one of the worst Republican years in history. In 2008 he was again challenged by Gutzmer and won re-election – tripling his margin of victory from 2006.
Matt represents the 27th Illinois Senate District – a suburban district comprised of Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Inverness, Palatine, Prospect Heights, and South Barrington. He serves on the Senate Judiciary, Redistricting, and Revenue committees, as well as the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. He also served as co-chair of the Senate Deficit Reduction Committee, where he had experts testify and propose over $3 billion in annual budget savings.
Matt has focused on growing jobs in Illinois and restoring the peoples' faith in their state government. He received the Illinois Chamber of Commerce's Friend of Business Award in 2009, and the Illinois Civil Justice League's Friend of Fairness Award in 2007.
In 2003, Matt was elected to serve as a Trustee on the Harper College Board of Trustees. During his tenure Matt helped craft balanced budgets that kept executive salaries from rising. He also formed partnerships with universities offering four-year degrees in order to further expand the education opportunities available to local residents while keeping tuition rates affordable.
Matt is a life-long resident of the northwest suburbs. He grew up in Mt. Prospect and attended St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights. He earned a BA from the University of Iowa, and a JD from John Marshall Law School. He's a practicing attorney with Brian J. McManus & Associates; and resides in Palatine with his wife, Julie, and children, Erin, Molly, Kevin, and Colleen.
The Murphy Family (Left to Right: Erin, Julie, Kevin, Colleen, Matt, and Molly)
