TAMPA, Fla. – Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard has endorsed James Judge for U.S. Congress in Florida’s 14th Congressional District, according to a news release issued by the campaign on Tuesday.
“I’ve known James for more than 25 years, since he was a young man in youth group at Calvary Baptist Church here in Clearwater. I know he is authentic, and I believe he is genuinely running for all of the right reasons,” said Hibbard. “James not only has a wealth of experience with the federal government, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the U.S. military, but he also understands business and has done a lot to give back to the Tampa Bay area. I think James is absolutely the best candidate to represent FL-14 in Washington.”
Hibbard, who is also the founder of a successful financial management firm based in Clearwater, served as mayor of Clearwater from 2005 until 2012 when he was term-limited. In 2020, Hibbard came out of political retirement and overwhelmingly won re-election as mayor of Clearwater, with his current term set to expire in 2024. Outside of politics, Hibbard has served as chairman of the board of Ruth Eckerd Hall, vice chairman of Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a board member of the Homeless Empowerment Program and as a school board member for Calvary Christian High School.
“I’m truly honored to receive Mayor Hibbard’s endorsement, as Frank is someone I have always looked up to, both professionally and personally,” said Judge. “When elected, I plan to rely on counsel from wise community leaders like Frank to guide me along my way as I fight to get inflation under control, reduce out-of-control spending, eliminate government regulations and restore law-and-order.”
The endorsement is the first of several endorsements Judge expects to be rolled out in the coming weeks.
Judge, who publicly announced his run for Congress earlier this year, is a Tampa Bay area native, 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 a 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.
