The Republican nominee in Florida’s 14th Congressional District has received another in a long line of law enforcement endorsements.
TAMPA, Fla. – The Republican nominee for Congress in Florida’s 14th Congressional District Monday announced that he has received the endorsement of former Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coats.
“I’m thrilled to endorse James Judge for Congress in Florida’s 14th Congressional District,” said Coats. “Over the course of his campaign, James has demonstrated his unwavering commitment and support for law enforcement. He has already been endorsed by several prominent law enforcement figures, and I am proud to add my name to that list.
Coats was first elected Sheriff of Pinellas County in 2004, after being appointed to the role on an interim basis by Gov. Jeb Bush. He served his community for more than 40 years.
But that 40 years of service did not only include police work.
Coats was well known for volunteering his time and served on the Executive Board of the Boys and Girls Club in Pinellas County for 18 years. He also served on the Executive Board of Directors several other organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pinellas County, Clothes to Kids and the Pinellas County Police Athletic League.
“I am extremely grateful and humbled by Sheriff Coats’s endorsement,” said Judge. “He is a role model and embodies the very spirit of public service. When I’m in Congress, I hope to be able to serve the Tampa Bay area as well as Sheriff Coats did for more than 40 years.”
Judge is facing off with Democrat Rep. Kathy Castor, who supported an anti-police bill that would hamstring and defund law enforcement. He is strong on fighting violent crime, and has earned the endorsements of current Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and the Tampa Police Benevolent Association.
He recently earned the recommendation of the Tampa Bay Times and has been endorsed by several high-profile local and national figures.
Judge’s other endorsees include Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ), retired Republican Congressman Ted Yoho, 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, contact the campaign’s PR firm at 813.279.8335 or by emailing vote@judgeforcongress.com.
