Erik Murray's bid for U.S. Senate is guided by solutions
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Who is Erik Murray and why is he running for U.S. Senate?
My name is Anna Kaminsky and you are listening to the Kansas Reflector Podcast. A US Senate seat up for election in Kansas has attracted a flurry of Democrats who want to defeat the Republican incumbent US Senator Roger Marshall. One of the most recent to file is Eric Murray, a Kansas City Kansan, an entrepreneur, a husband, and a father. He has never held elected office before, like many of his fellow Democratic primary candidates, but that hasn't deterred him. His approach to running for public office is rooted in his understanding of the social and economic needs of the Kansas City community and the rest of the state. Today I'm talking to Eric about who he is, why he's running, and how he will translate his ideas to voters across the state.
Eric, thank you so much for being here. Um, you told the Kansas City Star in December you don't love politics or politicians. Why did you want to become one?
Yeah, and to be clear, I don't really want to become a politician. I want to become a solutions provider that gets stuff done for our community. And so especially in this environment, I mean our politics are so broken. Um, you know, chaos is bad for business, chaos is bad for communities, and all of this fighting, you know, as a kid who grew up in Wyandotte County here in Kansas, I've seen firsthand You know what chaos does, and when folks are fighting all the time, uh they're not solving problems for community, for people, for schools, for healthcare, and we've got a lot of issues that really need to be addressed. And our political class as it exists is not solving problems. Uh they're either fighting or they're protecting their special interests or they're protecting their donors, and none of that is worth.
For the American people. So not a career politician, don't want to be a career politician. You know, I firmly believe in term limits. And so even once I'm elected, I won't be a career politician. I'll go serve two terms in the US Senate. I'll solve as many problems as I can for the people of Kansas and for all Americans. And then I'll move on and pass the baton to young leaders and new leaders. And I mean just The idea of our democracy works if political power is not entrenched in a billionaire class or a corporate class, but if the people actually have representatives that are focusing on solutions um and then are engaging young people and new people and and really keeping that Process of representative democracy alive.
So not a politician, don't really ever want to be one. I want to be a solutions-focused leader that gets some stuff done, helps my community, and then gets back to life. I've got a wife and four kids that I enjoy a ton, got a lot of great hobbies that I love, so much fun stuff to do here in and around Kansas. And so, you know, being an 80 or 90-year-old. politician does not sound that desirable and the fact that we have so many of them Uh is frankly frustrating, so
You grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, as you said, and and attended the University of Southern California on a scholarship and then returned home in twenty twenty three. That's right. And you've been traveling across the state recently for your campaign and I'm curious what have you heard from voters near home and beyond? What are they concerned about and how do you want to address those concerns?
Yeah, uh so again, having grown up in Wyindack County here in Kansas City, Kansas, very fortunate. Um, the first thing I want to do is thank all Kansans uh for the investment that they've already made in me by way of my public education. Um I was fortunate growing up in Wyndack County. A lot of folks don't realize that the number one public high school in the state of Kansas is in KCK and that's Sumner Academy. Um and so while we certainly have to acknowledge That we can continue to improve our public education system. We've gotta continue to get better outcomes, have kids leave school more prepared for the real world. So there's a lot of work that we can continue to do to improve public education. But I'm a product of public education and the investment that was made in me, my mom's a teacher, my aunt, both of my aunts, my uncle, even at 80 years old, is still substitute teaching in case.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Who is Erik Murray and why is he running for U.S. Senate?
0:00–7:12
2
Why does Erik describe himself as a solutions‑provider instead of a career politician?
7:12–13:39
3
What are Erik’s proposed solutions for the Kansas health‑care crisis?
13:39–20:48
4
How does Erik plan to tackle Kansas’s affordability and housing challenges?
20:48–25:51
5
What is Erik’s stance on immigration and border security?
25:51–31:26
6
How does Erik’s background in education shape his education policy proposals?
31:26–38:21
7
Why does Erik say trust in government is low and how does he intend to restore it?
38:21–44:37
8
What is the ‘Heart of America’ tour and how will it help Erik win the Senate race?
44:37–50:22
Speakers
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