Mike Murphy to deliver the 12th Annual Culver Lecture at Simpson College

Republican political media consultant Mike Murphy will deliver the 12th Annual Culver Lecture at Simpson College at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, 2023. The lecture will be presented live and in person in Hubbell Hall, Kent Campus Center, on Simpson’s main campus in Indianola, Iowa.

Mike Murphy is one of the Republican Party’s most successful political media consultants, having handled strategy and advertising for more than 26 successful gubernatorial and Senatorial campaigns, including 12 wins in “blue” states that have consistently voted Democratic in Presidential elections. He served as a top campaign advisor to John McCain, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with dozens of other GOP Senators, Members of Congress, and Governors, including former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad. 

“The Culver Center is delighted to welcome Mike Murphy to campus to share his astute insights on the Republican presidential field and the evolving role of Iowa in the presidential nominating process,” said Seth Andersen, Director of the John C. Culver Public Policy Center at Simpson College. “Murphy’s unrivalled experience in political communications and presidential campaignoptics will help audience members to better understand the context and dynamics of the battle for the 2024 GOP nomination as the Iowa Caucus campaign heats up.”

Murphy is currently co-director of the University of Southern California’s Center for the Political Future and serves on the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics boards. Murphy also works as a writer and producer in the entertainment industry with projects at HBO, CBS and 20th Century Fox Studios and co-hosts the popular podcast Hacks on Tap with Democratic political consultants Robert Gibbs and David Axelrod, who delivered the Fifth Annual Culver Lecture at Simpson College in 2015.

The Culver Lecture series was established in 2011 by the nonpartisan John C. Culver Public Policy Center at Simpson College. The annual Culver Lecture features a bipartisan roster of prominent figures in politics, media and public affairs who reflect on broader trends in American government and public discourse. 

For those attending the in-person event, there is no registration required. However, a virtual option is available that requires registration. Visit simpson.edu/culver-center to register.