Mary Beth Murphy

Mary Beth Murphy (Democratic Party) is a member of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners in North Carolina, representing District 4. She assumed office on December 7, 2020. Her current term ends on December 4, 2028.

Murphy (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners to represent District 4 in North Carolina. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Murphy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 4

Incumbent Mary Beth Murphy defeated Tony Jacobelli in the general election for Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 4 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mary Beth Murphy (D)	54.5	21,332
	Submit photo	Tony Jacobelli (R)	45.5	17,804

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 39,136
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Mary Beth Murphy advanced from the Democratic primary for Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 4.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Tony Jacobelli advanced from the Republican primary for Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 4.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Murphy in this election.

2020

General election

General election for Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 4

Mary Beth Murphy defeated incumbent Alan Branson in the general election for Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 4 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Mary Beth Murphy (D)	50.1	21,727
	Alan Branson (R)	49.9	21,655

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,382
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Mary Beth Murphy advanced from the Democratic primary for Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 4.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Alan Branson advanced from the Republican primary for Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 4.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Mary Beth Murphy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Murphy's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a 20 year veteran public school teacher, a youth sports coach, a mom and an advocate for our community.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am connected to all of us and committed to all of us. This campaign is not about me, or about power, but about serving ALL people in our community.
People deserve to thrive in the community where they choose to live and that means being able to earn a living wage and provide from themselves and their families in a dignified manner.
Public education is the backbone of our democracy. It deserves our full investment and support.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public education, healthcare access and economic development.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my parents. They were both public school teachers who literally would give the shirt off their backs to a student in need. My parents lived and demonstrated servant leadership to me and their school communities, and I am grateful for their influence in my life.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Someone holding the office of county commissioner must be willing and able to listen to all people, build collaborative working relationships with public and private partners and be deeply committed to investing in the public good.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have experience and relationships to pull together the stakeholders and thought partners needed to get the work done.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To determine how to allocate resources to best serve the people of our community.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Summer camp counselor at the Boys & Girls club. I did this job for 2 summers during high school.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Knock Knock.

Who's there?
Ice cream.
Ice cream who?
ICE CREAM SO YOU CAN HEAR ME!!!

(as told to me by my 10 year old son, who is truly so loud! and loved)

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

GCAE, Guilford for All

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency is critical! In fact it is a core value adopted by the BOCC after I was elected in 2020 and we have since won multiple national awards for our transparent fiscal practices.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Mary Beth Murphy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Murphy's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in North Carolina and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. As the daughter of two public school teachers, I thought I knew for sure I did not want to be a teacher, so after graduation I moved to New York City and worked at the Estee Lauder Companies' world headquarters. It wasn't long before I realized corporate America was not for me. I was not having the kind of impact on the world I envisioned for myself. So I returned to my roots in North Carolina and settled in Guilford County working as a middle school social studies teacher, soccer coach, and community swim coach. I married a Greensboro native (and fellow educator!) and together we are raising our two children in this community and in Guilford County Schools. Now, as a National Board Certified, 15-year veteran educator who is also a parent, I have a profound understanding of the challenges facing both our schools and the broader community. I bring a unique skill set rooted in strong listening, compassion, creative problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork. Guilford County deserves leadership that reflects the values of our community, and is committed to investment in our future. I will be that leader.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

After years of enduring the divestment of our public education system, the very backbone of a strong economy and community, by elected officials whose responsibility it is to uplift these institutions, I decided to step into politics for my students, their families, and our community.
With fifteen years of experience in the classroom, I am a creative problem-solver who is well-versed in working with what there is to make it as good as it possibly can be.
Everything that I stand for and work for now is what I have always stood for and worked for; I am consistent.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

First and foremost, I know that we must invest in our future by investing in our public education. Further, I believe the people of Guilford County should be fairly compensated for their work, and I am committed to fighting for a living wage. Additionally, I see how important it is to fully fund the Department of Health and Human services in order to both provide a sufficient number of school nurses and to improve access to health care for all residents. I care deeply about our community and am excited for the opportunity to serve.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 4

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Footnotes

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Mary Beth Murphy

Contents

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 4

Democratic primary election

Republican primary election

Endorsements

2020

General election

General election for Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 4

Democratic primary election

Republican primary election

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2020

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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