As his star rises in the second resistance era, Senator Murphy, newly separated from his wife of 17 years, is reportedly dating a former Democratic strategist now running a press shop aimed at boosting liberal candidates and causes across the country. The woman in question, Tara McGowan, founded Courier Newsroom in 2019 as an umbrella organization for local pro-Democrat press outlets, a practice often derided as “pink-slime journalism.”

According to a photo first reported by the New York Post, Mr. Murphy and Ms. McGowan were spotted cozying up together at a Washington bar as they looked over a menu. A spokesman for Mr. Murphy did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and by Monday morning, Ms. McGowan’s account on X had been deactivated following the inevitable social media scrutiny. 

Courier Newsroom, now owned by ACRONYM, has received funding from major pro-Democratic Party individuals and organizations, including PayPal co-founder Reid Hoffman, hedge fund manager George Soros, and Planned Parenthood. In February, Mr. Murphy collaborated with the Courier Newsroom to produce a video praising Democrats for working on a bipartisan border security bill that died in Congress last year after Mr. Trump objected. On Monday morning, that video with Mr. Murphy was still pinned to Courier Newsroom’s homepage. 

Under Courier’s umbrella is a host of purported local press shops across 11 states — including vital swing states like Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina. Courier has also set up a newsroom in Virginia, which will have its next gubernatorial election this year. 

Across various social media platforms — including Instagram, YouTube, Threads, TikTok, and X — Courier boasts more than 3 million followers and subscribers. 

A spokesman for Courier Newsroom did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. 

Mr. Murphy recently separated from his wife of 17 years, Cathy Holahan, though neither has filed for divorce. A spokeswoman for the senator told the CT Mirror that he and his wife made the “joint decision” to “remain friends” and co-parent their two sons. 

With the Democrats still reeling from an embarrassing loss to President Trump last year, Mr. Murphy has tried to take a leading role on not just legislative proposals from his perch in the Senate but also to reorient his party away from what he calls the “status quo” of big money donors and defending institutions. After a string of recent high-profile press appearances and anti-Elon Musk rallies, it is hard to assume anything other than Mr. Murphy is planning to run for president in 2028. 

“Our political brand is fundamentally broken, the rule of law is disintegrating and a lot of people still don’t know what Trump’s actual agenda is,” Mr. Murphy told the New York Times in a sit-down interview last month. He has embraced a new public relations strategy to get his populist message out — including a personal Substack blog with more than 35,000 subscribers and additional direct-to-camera videos reacting to news of the day.