In March 2014, Secretary of State Max Maxfield announced that he would not seek reelection. Murray declared his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination in April. Murray, who had never run for political office, won the Republican Primary by defeating five other candidates. Murray ultimately gained 37% of the vote, winning by only 1,632 votes over state Representative Edward Buchanan. Murray went on to defeat Libertarian Party nominee Howard "Kit" Carson and Constitution Party nominee Jennifer Young in the general election, receiving 77% of the vote in a state widely known to support Republican candidates.
