A Hernando County pastor who challenged Rep. Gus. Bilirakis (R-FL) during the 2022 primary election and had announced his candidacy for the 2024 primary election has terminated his campaign and endorsed James Judge, Bilirakis’s only other primary challenger.
DADE CITY, Fla. – The Hernando County man who won more primary votes than any other challenger to Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) during the 2022 Republican primary election in Florida’s 12th Congressional District has dropped out of the 2024 Republican primary election for the same seat and has endorsed James Judge in his place.
Jack Martin, a Christian, conservative pastor, garnered nearly 10 percent of the Republican primary election votes against Bilirakis in 2022, leading all primary challengers. He announced earlier this year that he would run against Bilirakis again during the 2024 election cycle, but due to an unforeseen illness in his family, he announced Thursday he has decided to step away from politics.
Upon the announcement that he will not seek the Republican nomination for Congress in Florida’s 12th Congressional District, Martin endorsed James Judge, who is also vying to unseat Bilirakis.
“I ran against Congressman Bilirakis in 2022 because I think it’s time for change in our Florida’s 12th Congressional District,” said Martin. “I feel the same way now, which is why I planned to run again in 2024. But due to the serious illness of a family member, I cannot devote the necessary time or energy to a full-fledged political campaign. I believe James Judge shares my conservative values and vision for our country, that’s why I’m endorsing him in his primary challenge against Gus.”
Judge thanked Martin for his support.
“I’ll certainly be praying for a miracle for Jack and his family during this difficult time,” said Judge. “I’m extremely grateful to have his support, and I’m looking forward to working with his supporters and all of the Republicans in the district in our effort to unseat Gus. We don’t have time for business as usual in Washington anymore, and together we can fight to reorient the Republicans in Washington towards fiscal conservatism, reducing inflation, closing our borders and returning to America’s traditional 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 small ranch in Dade City, 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 at 813.279.8335 or by emailing news@judgepr.com.