Michael Murphy (Cook County, Illinois)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Michael Murphy

Libertarian Party

Candidate, Cook County Board of Commissioners President

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Next election

March 17, 2026

Education

High school

Franklin High School

Associates

Schoolcraft College, 2015

Bachelor's

Wayne State University, 2020

Personal

Birthplace

Detroit, MI

Religion

Lutheran

Profession

IT Consultant

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Michael Murphy (Libertarian Party) is running for election for Cook County Board of Commissioners President in Illinois. He is on the ballot in the Libertarian Party primary on March 17, 2026.^[source]

Murphy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Michael Murphy was born in Detroit, Michigan. He earned two associate degrees from Schoolcraft College in 2015 and a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University in 2020. His work experience includes IT in hospitality, banking, logistics, and food manufacturing.

Elections

2026

See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2026)

General election

The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President

Incumbent Toni Preckwinkle (D) and Brendan Reilly (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
		Toni Preckwinkle
		Brendan Reilly

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Republican primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President

Max Rice (R) and Eric Wallace (R) are running in the Republican primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
		Max Rice (Write-in)
	Submit photo	Eric Wallace (Write-in)

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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.

Libertarian Party primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Libertarian primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President

Michael Murphy (L) and Justin Tucker (L) are running in the Libertarian Party primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
		Michael Murphy
	Submit photo	Justin Tucker (Write-in)

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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.

Endorsements

Murphy received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

• Libertarian Party of Chicago

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2024)

General election

General election for Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court

Mariyana Spyropoulos defeated Lupe Aguirre and Michael Murphy in the general election for Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Mariyana Spyropoulos (D)	68.0	1,322,315
		Lupe Aguirre (R)	25.6	498,205
		Michael Murphy (L)	6.4	124,368

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 1,944,888
= 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

Democratic primary for Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court

Mariyana Spyropoulos defeated incumbent Iris Martinez in the Democratic primary for Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Mariyana Spyropoulos	65.2	329,635
		Iris Martinez	34.8	176,195

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 505,830
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court

Lupe Aguirre advanced from the Republican primary for Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lupe Aguirre	100.0	76,577

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 76,577
= 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.

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Michael Murphy advanced from the Libertarian primary for Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Murphy in this election.

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2022)

General election

General election for Cook County Treasurer

Incumbent Maria Pappas defeated Peter Kopsaftis and Michael Murphy in the general election for Cook County Treasurer on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Maria Pappas (D)	75.4	1,063,160
		Peter Kopsaftis (R)	22.3	314,013
		Michael Murphy (L)	2.3	32,577

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,409,750
= 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

Democratic primary for Cook County Treasurer

Incumbent Maria Pappas advanced from the Democratic primary for Cook County Treasurer on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Maria Pappas	100.0	468,247

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 468,247
= 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.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Cook County Treasurer

Michael Murphy advanced from the Libertarian primary for Cook County Treasurer on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Murphy	100.0	1,968

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,968
= 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.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael Murphy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Murphy's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Michael Murphy, and I am running for Cook County Board President. I live in Chicago and have been a resident of Cook County since 2021.

My professional background is in technology and systems operations. I’ve spent my career helping organizations keep critical systems running reliably, fix broken processes, and ensure resources are used efficiently and responsibly. That experience has shaped how I view government: as a system whose outcomes, not intentions, should be judged.

I am running for office because too many residents experience county government through rising property taxes, delayed services, and decisions that feel disconnected from everyday life. I believe Cook County needs leadership that focuses on accountability, transparency, and long-term sustainability rather than short-term politics.

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?

• Cook County government makes decisions that affect millions of residents, yet too often those decisions lack transparency, accountability, or clear measures of success. I believe government should operate with the same discipline as a well-run organization: clear goals, honest evaluation of tradeoffs, and a willingness to change course when something isn’t working. As Board President, I will focus on how decisions are made, not just what is promised. That means demanding measurable outcomes, questioning long-standing practices that no longer deliver results, and ensuring taxpayers understand where their money goes and why.
• Rising property taxes and growing budget pressures are signs of a system that avoids hard choices. Residents shouldn’t be treated as an unlimited funding source for inefficient programs or political priorities. I believe fiscal responsibility starts with respecting taxpayers and acknowledging real constraints. That means auditing spending, reducing reliance on outside consultants where possible, aligning growth with inflation and population changes, and focusing county resources on core services that deliver real value. Sustainable government isn’t about cutting for the sake of cutting, it’s about spending wisely and honestly.
• Most government failures aren’t caused by bad intentions, but by poorly designed systems that reward the wrong outcomes. My background in systems operations has taught me that fixing problems requires understanding how incentives, processes, and second-order effects interact over time. As Board President, I will focus on structural reforms that make good decisions easier and bad decisions harder. That includes improving coordination across county departments, modernizing outdated processes, and prioritizing solutions that prevent problems instead of endlessly reacting to them.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am most passionate about public policies that improve how government functions, not just what it promises. That includes fiscal responsibility, property tax reform, public safety systems, and modernizing county operations to be transparent, accountable, and outcome-driven. I believe taxpayers deserve a government that respects real financial limits and focuses resources on core services that deliver measurable results. I am especially interested in systems-level reform, fixing incentives and processes so government decisions are clearer, fairer, and more sustainable over the long term.

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.

2024

Michael Murphy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Murphy's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Hello! My name is Michael Murphy (He/Him), and I go by my last name, Murphy. Born and raised in Metro Detroit, I transplanted to Chicago in 2022 and have not looked back. My profession is IT, and I possess a degree from Wayne State University. I firmly believe that the Government works for us, and as citizens, we must keep them accountable. That is what I want to do, and I want to keep the Government accountable.

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?

• Accountability: The Clerk of the Circuit Court should scrutinize to the highest level; it is ludicrous that 48 people can be found guilty of defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP); it should have never gotten this bad
• Open Records: I love an excellent Florida man story, just like the next person, but there is something to share about that. The records are available. We need this in Cook County; anytime the Government keeps a secret, it makes you ask, "What are they hiding?" On the same foot, we should also disclose any programs offered and the success rate. We need to stop letting pride get in our way and find a new way to produce better results if a program is not working.
• Employee Records: Anytime an employee is rewarded or disciplined, their record will be publicly available. I do not support the Government protecting the Government.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Limiting the scope of Government and its overprotective nature when it comes down to protecting itself.

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

Admitting when you are wrong. It takes a big person to say that a mistake happens and work on resolving it. Not every program is successful, and when a program goes wrong or has unforeseen negative consequences, we should be able to admit it was a mistake.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A better place for future generations.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9-11 and I was 7 at that time.

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

McDonalds

Tell us your favorite joke.

"There was a mollusk and a sea cucumber.

The sea cucumber walks over to the mollusk and says: "With

fronds like these, who needs anemones?" - Marlin Finding Nemo

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

No one from the Government should be able to go to the bathroom without someone from the public knowing. Joking aside, the Government should be held accountable to the highest level, and all financials should be transparent.

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.

2022

Michael Murphy did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

See also

2026 Elections

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Candidate

Cook County Board of Commissioners President

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