With Bob Rae's bid to lead the Liberal party now official, Charlottetown MP Shawn Murphy is offering his support.

Rae officially announced his candidacy Thursday. Murphy said Rae has the experience needed for the job and has a great way of connecting with Canadians.

"A lot of the values that he shares, I share. Certainly one of the ones in particular is the need for a strong central government," said Murphy.

"He's the right person at this point in time for the job. He's got the experience and the intelligence and the leadership traits that people are looking for."

Murphy said he will be helping to organize the P.E.I. portion of Rae's leadership campaign.