The Republican favorite in Florida’s 14th Congressional District primary, James Judge, earned the recommendation of the Tampa Bay Times editorial board on Wednesday.
TAMPA, Fla. – The leader in Florida’s 14th Congressional District primary race was endorsed in his primary race by the Tampa Bay Times, his hometown newspaper and the largest paper in the southeast U.S.
“The Times’s endorsement is the honor of a lifetime and certainly one of the highlights of my campaign,” said Judge. “I am extremely blessed and grateful to receive this endorsement, and I am looking forward to becoming the Republican Party’s nominee on August 23.”
“Though I’ve often found myself at odds with The Times over political issues, and while I fully expect the paper to endorse my Democrat opponent Kathy Castor in the general election, it made the right choice in this primary race,” Judge said.
The paper praised Judge, noting that while he is a strong conservative, he is offering practical solutions to issues that matter to American voters.
“Judge’s rhetoric has a strident tone, but he also shows a regard for Florida’s natural environment, and a practical side on some hot-button issues, including immigration,” the paper said. “He supports a ban on offshore drilling near Florida, and efforts to reduce global-warming greenhouse gas emissions. And Judge is open to a balanced approach to immigration that includes strengthening border security and creating a process through probation and fines where undocumented immigrants might obtain legal status.”
The Times also recognized the Judge campaign’s efforts to engage with voters in the district. His primary opponent has been noticeably absent from the campaign trail.
The Times’s endorsement is another in a long line of nods from local national political figures.
Judge has been endorsed by legendary political consultant Roger Stone, Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ), retired Republican Congressman Ted Yoho, The Tampa Police Benevolent Association, Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard 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.
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