4th District Candidate Robert "Family Man" Murray, Jr. (R)

Campaign Website: https://www.murrayforcongress.com/

Candidate Questionnaire from VPM:

Q: Where in Virginia do you live?

Downtown Richmond

Q: What is your current job? How would you describe your career?

Retired technology entrepreneur and corporate executive turned civil rights activist. I’m also a committed partner to another candidate for Congress (we’re the 6th couple in U.S. history to run parallel campaigns for Congress) and a “Bonus Dad” to a delightfully developing young man.

Q: List any college degrees or professional certifications you hold.

B.A with Physics minor, William & Mary, summa cum laude
MBA, Emory University, concentrations in Finance, IT/Business Operations
Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT) – ISACA

Q: Have you served in an elected or appointed political office before? When, where and in what position?

No. My career has been entirely private sector and nonprofit. However, I have broad, longstanding experience supporting the optimization or transformation of all levels of government.

This includes, with select examples:

Local – City of Boston
State – Massachusetts State Auditor
U.S. Federal Defense – Air Force
U.S. Federal Civilian – Dept. of Veteran’s Affairs
U.S. Public/Private Hybrids or Government Sponsored Enterprises – Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”)
International – Swedish Customs & Immigration (Tullverket; World Customs Organization)

Q: Please describe any ways you’ve used generative artificial intelligence in your campaign.

The campaign regularly uses “frontier” generative AI products to perform mock-ups of graphics/logos as well as refining/distilling text for publishing and speech. These are simply more cost-efficient approaches to campaigning, thereby giving greater value to donor contributions.

However, on my LinkedIn page, I have published brief articles on the dangers of AI-generated “synthetic media,” which I have not used in our campaign. To further enhance our efficiency, the campaign has begun exploring non-generative AI tools (e.g. sentiment analysis, transcription, translation) and are agentic AI.

If elected, my goal is to use AI to assess constituent news and feedback to identify 4th District experts with whom I can use to guide legislation, act quickly to resolve urgent concerns, and aid planning for the evolving needs of our district, commonwealth and country. This allows everyone to be heard and for individual voices, ideas, and needs to not be lost amongst the many.

Q: What should constituents know about you?

I’ve worked in 15 countries across diverse cultures, laws, and languages. I’ve used technologies to solve problems for governments and organizations, from multinational corporations to a local church. I know how to solve big problems with technology and I know how to govern technology to ensure it only helps us.

I left my career because I wanted a family.

I entered politics because a corrupt Wisconsin judicial system prevents me from marrying my girlfriend. It’s a half-decade story with 3,000 pages of litigation involving more than a half-dozen top attorneys. In short, after the Winnebago County Court lost my girlfriend’s divorce paperwork, Judge Bryan D. Keberlein falsified her divorce. This covered up the court’s records retention liability.

By 2025, her divorce case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, in which she and I are both listed as undisputed civil rights victims. In time, her case will be fixed and our developing family will finally enjoy peace. However, through this experience, I’ve learned how and why tens of millions of Americans have suffered from the unconstitutional and unjust Family Law system, which exists in every state. I’ve also learned how bad federal government incentives have made state court problems much worse. If I’m elected, I will fix that for everyone.

As the “Family Man,” I’ve given many presentations about how to fix Family Law and state court bad behavior, which have affected nearly a third of all Americans, including millions of children and all adoption. My girlfriend and I outlined legislation and then contacted our representatives in Congress, offering to help them save Americans $25B/year and incalculable distress.

However, not only one Congressional Democrat nationwide returned our contact requests, whether made by us or others. That included my competitor, Jenn McClellan, so I am campaigning for her seat.

If elected, I commit to being more responsive to you than any Democrat in Congress and I will put your and our nation’s needs over all others.

Q: In a word or phrase, tell us: What do you think your race is about?

Fixing health, wealth, and respecting your civil rights.

Q: How should the federal government address the ongoing affordability challenges?

First, the largest cost for many is inflation – a hidden tax that destroys savings and ruins the purchasing power of every dollar. We need to modernize our monetary system, edit the Federal Reserve’s mandates, and fix our federal funding model. This will close the $18T in mathematically unpayable debt and restore fiscal sanity to federal spending. It can cure Social Security, which if ignored, will soon run out of reserves and harm millions of Americans.

Housing (rent/mortgage, utilities) is the No. 1 visible cost for most Americans, followed by
Transportation
Food, insurance and healthcare.

All affordability solutions must address these areas.

To lower housing costs, some look to lowering interest rates, thereby spurring investment that creates more housing supply and then lowers costs. However, this hurts the value of our currency and at best is a short-term market manipulation that costs more later.

A better, more sustainable solution is deregulating housing (to accelerate construction) and resolving immigration that has raised travel costs. We must keep and fast-track brilliant, ethical, hard-working talents. All immigrants who do not wish to assimilate into America must not be paid to stay by taxpayers. This will lower housing prices and lower taxes.

We must invest in modernizing our military and hardening our domestic infrastructure once we lower our overseas military expenses and wind down our involvement in overseas conflicts. This will lower our transportation costs, create high-paying jobs here in Virginia (and across the U.S.), all while better defending our homeland.

To reduce food, insurance, and healthcare costs, we need “good” technologies, properly governed, which will restore our economy and greatly reduce the fraud, waste, and abuse in these (and other) industries. Healthcare must shift from unaffordable “treatment” to early disease detection and prevention through better nutrition, exercise, and reducing environmental toxins.

We need to end the IRS mandate for individual income taxes and shift tax burdens to corporations and overseas suppliers. Not only is this ethical, but it puts more $ and opportunity to everyday Americans, particularly small businesses and small farms.

Q: What kinds of proposals should Congress consider as data centers become more common nationwide?

Congress’ power to regulate energy and pollution use interstate commerce to ensure that data centers are built where they are desired and in environmentally responsible manners.

Q: Do you support Congressman Hakeem Jeffries or Congressman Mike Johnson for House speaker?

Yes. I prefer Johnson’s leadership style, particularly after Jeffries’ assistance in driving Virginia’s 2026 unconstitutional gerrymandering effort.

However, I will work with either, but by building bridges across political divides, Congress can better serve all Americans.

Q: Where do you stand on abortion, and do you believe there’s a role for federal legislation in regulating abortion?

The terms “pro-choice” and “pro-life” are inaccurate, useless descriptions that create needless conflict.

The Supreme Court ruled in the Dobbs case that “abortion” is a matter for states to decide. I respect civil rights and “your body, your choice.” I do not want the federal government involved in reproductive rights. I would prefer to mirror programs in northern Europe that financially and socially encourages births, even if only for adoption.

I view most Western governments to be unwise for importing millions of immigrants to supplement low birth rates.

Personally, I believe life begins at conception and that a child’s dependence on a mother or parent (which exists until at least age 5) is a very poor measure for viability.

Q: If elected, how would you use your position to help alleviate the housing crisis in your district, Virginia and nationally?

I answered this question above.

Q: How do you personally use artificial intelligence in your life? What specific regulations do you propose for companies producing AI?

Primarily as an advanced search engine, I use “frontier” generative AI.

However, I have begun experimenting with offline/local AI tools and OpenClaw. AI and robotics are rapidly transforming our world, both for the good and the bad. I am committed to accelerating AI’s adoption in the U.S., but I share others’ concerns on AI’s risks.

I’ve scanned Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s mid-September proposal for industry regulation, as well as other experts’ commentary. Without significant debate, I can only support the federal government’s withdrawal of industry funding (with taxpayer dollars) and shared ownership of all AI firms.

Instead, I encourage the federal government to becoming a primary consumer of their products. I would task NIST (and invite ISACA) to write suitable AI governance controls and practices. I do not believe there can be an effective regulatory constraint, but maintaining leadership allows our nation the most time to learn from AI development challenges.

The biggest challenge I see is socioeconomic – what to do about AI and robots impacting (or even displacing) much of the global workforce. Congress and federal agencies can help redefine children’s education and aid in retraining displaced adults.

Q: What is your stance on the United States’ foreign policy with Israel?

All nations and humans have a right to self-defense and to seek cooperation from allies. That said, I celebrated PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent support to end U.S. military aid to Israel, because such aid has fueled antisemitism.

To help others, we must help ourselves. There are many challenges in the world, but America has its own. We must address our $40,000,000,000,000+ national debt, fix the funding shortfalls in Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid, and fortify our nation’s at-risk infrastructure.

I’ve watched a “tent city” emerge along the 5000-block of Midlothian Turnpike/Rt. 60. It’s not yet “Skid Row” in L.A., but it’s right here in District 4. It’s past time to restore focus on building this nation instead of others.

So, if elected, I’ll help end such opportunity barriers and poverty by restoring focus on Virginia’s and America’s welfare, particularly its public health and its economy/cost of living. I know firsthand: Only people with health and wealth can afford to defend their civil rights, which I will work endlessly to equal and preserve for all Americans.

Q: What is your stance on the use of Flock or other automatic license plate readers in your district?

Personally, I’ve seen Flock, Axon, and similar ALPR products are often misused. Worse, they help bypass government restrictions on warrantless mass surveillance of its citizens. That’s wrong.

So, until properly governed, the benefits of these excellent technologies are outweighed by their civil rights violations, including every citizen’s 4th and 5th Amendment rights.

Fortunately, there is a great need and value for these cameras. I support moving all 500,000+ cameras inside local/municipal, state, and federal government buildings to cover all grounds, hallways, lunchrooms, and offices. These would aid constituents’ oversight of their elected officials.

Q: A hospital or multiple health care centers in your district are at risk of service cuts/closure due to Medicaid changes. How would you advocate for your district’s health and wellness?

I view services cuts/rural hospital closures as a symptom for broader healthcare problems. The disruption highlights the need for better planning to ensure continuity of care while still soon saving significant $.

Murray recommends No votes to Virginia's three constitutional amendments. McClellan endorses Yes votes on all three.

Q: Where do you stand on the pending Dominion Energy–NextEra merger?

Broadly, M&A [mergers and acquisitions] builds synergies of scale and scope that benefit consumers. Ensuring constituents actually benefit from the merger is the combined role of concerned citizens, journalists, and Virginia delegates.

I see little need to involve Congress.

Q: As a Virginian, what are your thoughts on Ballot Question 1?

Just vote no. Virginians will be harmed by the removal of medical liability. If anything, we need to shift attention to pre-natal and postpartum care.

Q: As a Virginian, what are your thoughts on Ballot Question 2?

Just vote no. It creates risks where none are required.

I am familiar with the U.S. Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, as my girlfriend and I have frequently cited it in litigation. I accept as true the stated union of any couple, regardless of how they choose to identify themselves. Love wins.

However, Virginians risk creating liability for service providers who prefer to not transact or engage with non-traditional unions. This coercion, including civil litigation or arrest, is unnecessary.

Further, Virginians should not validate “gender” from “sex,” as by doing so, we not only defy science, but we support men identifying as women to gain access to women’s sports and bathrooms, creating unsportsmanlike and unsafe conditions.

Both the conservative and liberal positions should be identical: If there is to be any amendment, it should remove government from having any opinion about spiritual unions (marriages). Humans have an unenumerated right to associate with whomever they wish. If government has any “interest,” that interest arises only in divorce, not marriage.

Q: As a Virginian, what are your thoughts on Ballot Question 3?

Just vote no. The mentally incompetent should be cared for, not be permitted to vote.

Q: How confident are you that the 2026 Virginia midterm elections will be free and fair?

I am confident that Virginia Congressional District 4 will be free and fair. I have not researched the rest of the commonwealth’s practices, but election integrity issues are centuries old.

Recently, many Wisconsin Democrats were upset by their state’s Wisconsin gubernatorial primary. Before that, SoCal colleagues remain shocked by the Los Angeles mayoral race.

Q: Who won the 2020 presidential election?

Apparently, Biden. What is most relevant is that six years later, this continues to be a source of great contention, which began long before Trump spoke a word about it, as millions of Americans watched abnormalities occur in real-time.

Abnormalities do not signify fraud, but they create doubt among even well-reasoned people. Since then, it is now well established that election integrity problems existed, but it remains unclear if the sum of the problems would have changed the outcome.

Americans are rapidly losing confidence in not just politicians, but the entire system. This is very dangerous. Every rights-respecting effort to fortify election integrity is critical to diminishing discord and unifying our country.

It is imperative that we cooperate to ensure that our processes are not only fair, but universally perceived as fair. All who dismiss the concerns of their neighbors, regardless of their differing views, undermine our Republic.