Michael Murphy, a Libertarian, will challenge Toni Preckwinkle for Cook County Board President in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Murphy, who lives in Chicago's Austin neighborhood in Cook County District 1, said on his campaign website he wants to cut government waste before asking residents for more money. He has no political background.

Candidate information

• Party: Libertarian
• Residence: Austin neighborhood, Chicago (Cook County District 1)
• Education: Associate's degree, Schoolcraft College (2017); bachelor's degree in computer technology/computer systems technology, Wayne State University (2020)
• Current employment: Information system engineer, Campagna-Turano Bakery, Inc. (2021–present)

Experience

According to his BallotReady profile, Murphy worked as a technical support group technician at UPS from 2015 to 2018. He then served as an IT network/systems administrator at Sorbis Corporation from 2018 to 2019 and as a system administrator at Diversified Members Credit Union from 2019 to 2021.

Murphy's BallotReady profile lists no elected offices.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Murphy's responses on his campaign website and through BallotReady. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.

Property taxes and spending

Murphy said he supports a 1% property tax rate tied to property value, with annual increases capped at inflation or 2%. He said on his campaign website that the cap would provide stability for homeowners and businesses in Cook County. He called for balancing budgets without raising taxes on working families and said tax dollars should fund essential services, not what he called "pet projects or political favors."

Housing

Murphy said he supports by-right zoning reform that would automatically approve housing projects meeting existing safety and zoning standards. He also proposed releasing idle county-owned parcels for private or nonprofit housing through open bidding or long-term leases. He called for rehabilitation tax incentives for owner-occupied homes to encourage residents to preserve older properties.

Criminal justice and policing

Murphy said he supports police reform focused on transparency and constitutional protections. His proposals include ending racial profiling and unconstitutional searches and demilitarizing local police forces. He also called for prioritizing violent crime prevention over revenue-driven enforcement and opposing surveillance without cause.

Education

Murphy said he supports expanding school choice, including public, charter, private, homeschool and virtual options. He called for redirecting resources to classrooms by cutting administrative waste and holding leadership accountable for results.

Government reform

Murphy said he supports consolidating overlapping transit agencies to reduce waste and improve coordination. He described his governing philosophy as small, efficient government focused on core responsibilities such as public safety, infrastructure and essential services.

Candidate positions were drawn from Murphy's campaign website and BallotReady questionnaire responses. The Park Ridge Wire did not interview the candidate for this profile.