Murphyness, or How Many Roses By the Same Name?

Pennsylvania has a Rep. Murphy (Tim Murphy R-18). Two Democrats named Murphy are running for House seats from Pennsylvania (Lois Murphy PA-06, and Patrick Murphy PA-08). A third, John Murphy is running as a independent candidate for the 16th congressional district. So, what happens if some of these Murphys win? How many states have more than one representative with the same surname? I checked. Here's the list:

Florida has Rep. Corrine Brown (D) and Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R).

Virginia has two Republican Rep. Davis, JoAnn Davis and Thomas M. Davis III.

Florida has Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, both Republicans.

Texas has Rep. Al Green and Rep. Gene Green, both Democrats.

Texas also has Rep. Eddie Johnson (D) and Rep. Sam Johnson (R).

California has Rep. Gary Miller (R) and Rep. George Miller (D).

California also has Rep. Linda Sanchez (D) and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D).

So, Florida, Texas, and California both have two pair of same-named representatives. Michigan has a representative and a senator nameed Levin. Colorado has a representative and a senator named Salazar.

In other useless trivia, Davis is the most common surname in the Congress, with 8 representatives named Davis. Miller and Johnson are tied for second place with 5 each. All the Millers are representatives. One of the Johnsons is a senator.

You, too, can while away the hours looking up this kind of trivia. Check www.house.gov and www.senate.gov, or look in CQ's Politics in America or the Almanac of American Politics. For historical data, check the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress.