The Republican nominee in Florida’s 14th Congressional District is calling on his Democrat opponent to debate him.
TAMPA, Fla. – The Republican nominee for Congress in Florida’s 14th Congressional District is challenging his Democrat opponent to square off with him in a public debate before early voting begins on Oct. 24, the campaign announced Monday.
“Kathy Castor has been in office in the Tampa Bay area for nearly 16 years, and for most of that time, she hasn’t faced a serious challenge to her reelection,” said James Judge. “Because of that, she has rarely had to face the scrutiny of her constituents in a public debate. It’s time to change that. I’m calling for Kathy to debate me before early voting begins and before ballots are cast in the general election. If she’s truly interested in the democratic process like she claims, it’s time for her to step up.”
Judge noted that this year’s race in Florida’s 14th Congressional District will be far more competitive than in years prior.
“We expect this to be a close race,” said Judge. “There ought to be a fair, open forum for the people of the Tampa Bay area to hear what the candidates have to say and make an informed decision on election day. Debates are a longstanding tradition that support democratic norms about which Democrats like Castor have recently opined.”
Judge said Castor can even choose the time and location of the event, as long as it’s open to the public and before Oct. 24.
“I will do whatever is most convenient for Kathy’s schedule. I’ll let her choose the time and the place,” said Judge. “She has taken pot shots at me in the media, calling me an extremist, and an ‘extreme MAGA Republican,’ and she ought to defend those claims in a public setting. I just won a primary in which I was called a ‘liberal in disguise.’ If you ask me, I think I’m more of the moderate and the right candidate that can unite Republicans, Independents and Democrats. If Castor is really interested in what’s best for her constituents, she shouldn’t have any problem standing on a stage with me to defend her record as a hardline, no-compromise, partisan Democrat.”
Judge won his Aug. 23 primary election by 24 points, despite being outspent 10-to-one by his closest competitor.
In the Primary, Judge earned the recommendation of the Tampa Bay Times and has been endorsed by several high-profile local and national figures.
Those figures include Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ), retired Republican Congressman Ted Yoho, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, The Tampa Police Benevolent Association, Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard, the Community Patriots Tampa, Chris Chambers, a former Congressional candidate and community leader, and former SBA White House Deputy Chief Matt Becker, who previously ran for Congress against an incumbent Democrat in St. Petersburg.
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 also a small business owner in Hillsborough County. 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.
For media-related inquiries, please contact the campaign’s PR firm at 813.279.8335 or by emailing news@judgepr.com.
