Republican former Congressman Ted Yoho endorsed Pasco County businessman and Coast Guard veteran James Judge, who has mounted a primary challenge against Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL).
TAMPA, Fla. – Former Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL), who represented Florida’s 3rd Congressional District, has endorsed Pasco County businessman and war-veteran James Judge in Judge’s primary bid to unseat Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL), the Judge campaign announced Monday.
News of the endorsement came out just hours after former Iowa Congressman Steve King also endorsed Judge.
Judge announced he was running against Lee in Florida’s 15th Congressional District on Friday after former President Donald J. Trump called for removing Lee from office and for a true, America-first conservative to step forward in late March.
Yoho served in Congress from 2013 to 2021 and was an early member of the House Freedom Caucus. After fulfilling a campaign promise to serve no more than eight years and retiring from his elected position, Yoho remains active in politics at the national level.
“Washington lacks vision and leadership in solving the tough problems facing our nation. When I entered Congress in 2013 our national debt was $13.5 trillion. When I left Congress, it was $22 trillion despite my persistent challenging of leadership to solve the problem. Washington leadership continually fails to address our spending and now taxpayers are on the hook for $34 plus trillion in debt,” Yoho said. “This is unsustainable, and the only way to solve this is by sending individuals to Washington who not only recognize the problem but have the backbone and tenacity to make adult decisions to correct course for the future of America. I am confident that James has these traits and the good common sense needed to start solving the three most perilous threats facing America: out-of-control debt, open borders and the Chinese Communist party. That’s why he has my full support.”
Judge is a Christian, conservative, U.S. Coast Guard veteran and local business owner. He was the Republican nominee in Florida’s 14th Congressional District in 2022, when he challenged Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) in the 2022 general election. Judge won the primary election by more than 25 points, despite being outspent 10-1 and did the best against Castor that anyone has ever done since she entered office in 2006, securing more than 43 percent of the vote in the general election.
“I am grateful for Congressman Yoho’s support and for the great friendship we have developed over the past several years,” said Judge. “He was a force for conservative, Christian values in Congress, and is a fantastic source of wisdom and advice. I’m grateful to have him in my corner as I seek the Republican nomination in Florida’s 15th Congressional District, and I look forward to his continued mentorship.”
Lee, who is still in her first term, has consistently failed to uphold conservative values and adhere to the Constitution, Judge says. According to conservative watchdog groups like The Freedom Index (50 percent) and the Republican Liberty Caucus (55 percent), Lee has a 52.5 percent average, when it comes to upholding the Constitution.
In March, Lee opposed members of the House Freedom Caucus and voted in favor of the new $1.2 trillion funding package, which included more federal spending for LGBT initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
According to a recent review of political contributions tracked by the Federal Election Commission, Lee has accepted hundreds of special interest contributions in her short stint as a Congresswoman, including taking funding from Meta, Facebook’s parent company, and Google, both of which helped rig the 2020 election against President Trump and have consistently demonstrated their opposition to conservative, family values.
About James Judge:
James Judge, a Florida native, 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 public relations, marketing and consulting firm. Judge is married to his wife Danielle, who is also a small business owner. The Judges live on a ranch in Pasco County, with their five dogs, three cats, chickens, cows, goats and horses. Judge is a proud member of the NRA, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. The Judges are also longtime, active members at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz.
For media-related inquiries, please contact the campaign’s PR firm by emailing news@judgepr.com or by calling 813.279.8335.