TAMPA, Fla. – James Judge, a local businessman, U.S. Coast Guard veteran and Tampa Bay area native, formally filed to run for the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Judge, a Republican, submitted the appropriate notarized paperwork with the Florida Division of Elections and is following through on his promise to try to unseat Democrat incumbent Kathy Castor in Florida’s 14th Congressional District. Castor has held the seat since being elected in 2006.
“I believe Castor and this administration have proven they cannot govern effectively,” said Judge. “With Democrats in control of Washington, gas prices at five dollars a gallon and continuing to rise, and inflation at the highest level in more than 40 years, the average family is struggling to keep up with the massive increase in the cost of living. We are desperately in need of a change.”
In the past few weeks, Judge has received some significant endorsements from Florida leaders. Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard was the first to endorse Judge, followed by former Congressman Ted Yoho, who served Florida’s 3rd Congressional District from 2013-2021.
Additionally, Matt Becker, a former Congressional candidate, who challenged Rep. Charlie Crist, and also served as deputy chief of staff and White House Liaison for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), announced his endorsement for Judge earlier this week.
About James Judge:
Judge, who publicly announced his run for Congress earlier this year, is the only Tampa Bay area native running in the race, having been born in Clearwater, Florida. Judge graduated from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg and served in the U.S. Coast Guard in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Additionally, he served in Kabul, Afghanistan as a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense from 2010 until 2011. He now owns Judge Public Relations, a Tampa-based PR firm and marketing agency with clients worldwide.
Judge is married to his wife Danielle, who is the founder and owner of Rowdy’s Pet Resort, a dog daycare boarding facility near Apollo Beach. The Judges are avid animal lovers and together, they have four dogs, three cats, two horses and 10 chickens. Judge is a proud member of the NRA, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. The Judges are also active members at Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa.
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