Ian Murphy (writer)
| Ian Murphy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 31, 1978 Buffalo, New York |
| Residence | Amherst, New York |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Employer |
The Beast (formerly, The Buffalo Beast) |
| Political party | Green Party of New York State |
Ian Larry Murphy (born October 31, 1978) is an American alternative journalist and satirist who is the editor and a reporter for The Beast, an alternative, online newspaper based in Buffalo, New York. He was the Green Party nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives, NY-26 district election in early 2011.
Murphy, a native of the Buffalo area, gained national attention in February 2011 for prank-calling Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker while claiming to be billionaire David Koch, and posting a recording of the conversation online. The conversation was said to reveal Walker's plots to defeat Democrats on a budget standoff and Walker's willingness to cooperate with wealthy donors to quash public sector labor unions.
Shortly after the Koch prank, Murphy became the Green Party candidate in the New York's 26th congressional district special election to replace Republican Chris Lee who had resigned after sending a shirtless picture of himself to a woman on Craig's list. According to the Green Party of New York state, Murphy ran to challenge the "anti-worker, pro-war, pro-corporate, anti-environmental agenda of the Democrats and Republicans." During the campaign, Murphy created a satirical website using the name of rival Republican candidate, Jane Corwin, in the URL. Murphy was excluded from participation in the televised candidate debates—in one case because he had previously insulted the debate moderator in one of his Buffalo Beast articles. The Green Party objected to the TV station's action saying it denied voters their First Amendment right to hear the views of all the candidates. Just 25 percent of registered voters turned out for the off-season election, despite national media attention. Democrat Kathy Hochul won, and Murphy finished last in the four-way race with about 1 percent of the vote.
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