By Lisa Hagen / CTMirror.org
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and his wife Cathy Holahan are separating after almost two decades of marriage, his office confirmed Friday.
The couple said the decision was made jointly on amicable terms and that they will co-parent their two teenage sons together going forward.
The news comes less than two weeks after Murphy easily won a third term to the U.S. Senate. He appeared with Holahan and their sons at Dunkin’ Donuts ballpark in Hartford to celebrate his victory at an election night party. The Hartford Courant first reported the news of the separation Friday.
“Chris and Cathy recently made the joint decision to separate amicably. They do so with deep care and respect for each other and a commitment to remain friends and loving co-parents to their sons. They ask for privacy as their family navigates this new chapter,” Murphy spokesperson Rebecca Drago said in a statement.
The couple sent an email to their family and friends on Friday explaining their decision to split up after 20 years together, noting the multiple moves they have made around Connecticut and to Washington, D.C., the individual careers they both built and the family they created.
“With the election behind us — our seventh together — we have some news we wanted to share with you,” they wrote in the email obtained by the Connecticut Mirror. “After much reflection and discussion, we have decided to separate as a couple. We do so with deep care and respect for each other, and with a focus on continuing to be friends and loving, collaborative parents to our boys whom we adore.”
“This was a difficult decision, but we believe that it is right for us, and we are going to move onto this new path the right way,” they wrote. “We will continue to support each other personally and professionally. And we hope you all will stay connected with both of us.”
Murphy and Holahan were married in 2007 and are parents of two sons, Owen and Rider. They met each other at the University of Connecticut School of Law where they both earned law degrees.
When they got married, Murphy was serving as a first-term congressman in Connecticut’s 5th District. After a few terms in the House, he then ran for the U.S. Senate in 2012 and has been serving in that role since.
Murphy has been serving in elected office since 1999, first as a member of the state’s House of Representatives.
Holahan is listed as a principal attorney for Education Counsel in Washington, D.C. According to her profile page on the website, she provides legal, policy and strategic planning support to organizations on education policy.
At the time of their marriage, she worked as a lawyer for Connecticut Legal Services with a focus on child advocacy law, according to The New York Times. She has also worked as a law clerk for a chief justice on the Connecticut Appellate Court and as a French teacher in Baton Rouge, La., through the Teach for America program.
Chris Murphy finally had a moment of introspection on why democrats lost so badly. Can we hope that he will start thinking for himself and not voting in lockstep with lefty democrats. Maybe be a so called “maverick” even though that always seemed to me to translate to voting with the opposition against your own party. We will need a few democrats to pass some legislation and confirm appointees. As for his marital issue, that is always unfortunate and I wish them well as they navigate it.
Susan, as always we are in lockstep. That said, you are far more temperate than I when it comes to Murphy,who appeared countless times as one of Kamala’s leading advisors which speaks volumes as to the direction he intends to lead Ct.If you recently saw an uptick in your Eversource bill, Murhy has benefitted in excess of $83,000 in funds from Eversource. His endless tv commercials, “I am a friend,a neighbor,a father ” was my first insight into his marital status even prior to this announcement. Even his own wife can’t stand his hypocrisy.
You are probably right, but I have always been an optimist and hope that even the most misguided lefty can have an epiphany and change direction. In Connecticut the chances are probably not great that this will happen any time soon but I think it will eventually. It’s already happening (though not fast enough) to the dismay of many here in Westport. We see their sad, delusional assessments of the election here on Westport Journal and know that conservatives have their work cut out for them.
Why don’t you two get a room?
Interesting…a discussion if housing policy goes to a sexual reference for you. I rest my case.
You voted for a rapist who’s trying to fill his cabinet with other rapists and predators. Too late for the Mother Superior act.
Do you really want to join Stephanopoulos who has put himself in the crosshairs of a lawsuit . Get your facts straight. There was no rape conviction. Not to mention the actual conviction, with no evidence of this encounter at all, is just another example of all the cases against Trump being bogus b.s. Jack Smith, the latest to say “Never mind”, as an example. You being sexually focused has nothing to do with me being Mother Superior(?). Your usual weak response. Refer to my previous advice to you since you just keep walking into it. BTW, I can do this forever; it really is a guilty pleasure. I hope Mother Superior can forgive me, haha.
Not sure where you get your information. You are entitled to your own opinion, not your own facts. LOL
Show me your “fact” of Trump being convicted of rape. You won’t be able to because it is not a fact. Look the facts up before weighing in and looking as stupid as others who continue to do the same. Democrats lost for a lot of reasons , one of them being people getting tired of invented charges against political enemies. They recognized a real threat to democracy and it isn’t conservatives. I imagine you believed the Hitler,Nazi, fascism takeover of America story, correct? Why then was Trump invited to the White House, congratulated and promised a smooth transition? If “Hitler” were just elected Biden should have directed the military to fight back to “save democracy”. You were all hoodwinked and bamboozled by your leaders and the media. Time to actually start thinking about that.
Eversource does not donate directly to political candidates. It looks like Murphy received $796 from Eversource PACs, employees, and owners. By comparison, Trump received $18,468. Eversource puts more money into lobbyists than contributions.
I’ll provide a link.
https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/eversource-energy/recipients?id=D000028032
Maybe you can provide a link, presuming your claim isn’t baseless.
They get their news from “truth social.”
And you apparently get your news and facts from Chris Grimm. I think I’ll pass on that source.
Sharon, I posted a link directly to the source of the information that I provided. I’m not sure why you reacted the way that you did to Susan Iseman’s comments. Do you object to actual facts?
Well Chris, not particularly impressed with your facts since you libeled me on this site with a story of my mistreatment of my sister which never happened. Still debating what I should do about that. Why would I give credence to anything you say after that.
LMAO!
Let’s be honest for a minute here. You really don’t have much to laugh about these days, do you? Meanwhile, I cant stop smiling. Enjoy another MAGA day Susan.
Furthermore, on the subject of Eversource or any other entities donating or “donating” to political candidates, the ways in which this can be done are myriad and frequently are on a thin line between legit and quid pro quo. Helpful breakdowns of donations provided by Eversource for our edification may very well not be the whole story. CT has a very unfortunate reputation of dirty political dealings which probably continued in this latest election cycle.
I’ll keep laughing!
As will All of us.
Enjoying the next 4 years. And fingers crossed another 8 after that. It will take that long to right the socialist agenda that is destroying this fine country.
Looking very forward to unburdening ourselves from what has been.
Elon go Bragh!
Aren’t you a restaurant owner?You gonna stop “socialists” from dining there because they ruined thus fine country? Still laughing so funny all of these comments.
“Socialist agenda” from the person who wants a socialist allocation of Town Parking for her employees?
Here’s the thing with libertarians. When someone else gets it, it is socialism. When they get it, it isn’t.
Instead of speculating, how about providing a link to actual data about the political contributions you claim?
Where is your link to the data libeling me regarding my family members? Oddly enough Chris, illegal graft and bribery usually don’t have online links. Are you trying to say there is no corruption in Ct. or any other government? Both naive and stupid.