Christian, conservative, James Judge, who won the Republican primary in Florida’s 14th Congressional District in 2022, will challenge incumbent Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) in Florida’s 12th Congressional District.
DADE CITY, Fla. – James Judge, a Dade City resident and military veteran who owns a Tampa Bay area business announced Thursday that he will challenge incumbent Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) in the primary election for Florida’s 12th Congressional District.
James Judge, a Christian, conservative, U.S. Coast Guard veteran, and local business owner, 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.
“I learned a lot during the last election cycle, and I kept getting asked the same question. Why wouldn’t I consider running against Gus,” said Judge. “At the time, I thought he was a nice guy and I hadn’t really looked into his background. But the reality is, the more I looked, I realized that he isn’t all that conservative. For more than 50 years, a member of the Bilirakis family has occupied this seat, and our country is much less conservative, both fiscally and culturally, than when he assumed office.”
Polls consistently show most Americans are continually less satisfied with the direction of the country.
“The way I see it, Gus and the rest of the establishment Republicans are either responsible for it, or it has happened under their watch,” said Judge.
As for Bilirakis’s voting record, he is among the least conservative members for Congressional Republicans, according to several conservative organizations.
The Freedom Index has Bilirakis with only a 60 percent lifetime score, and a low score of 43 percent in the 116th Congress from 2019 to 2020. Liberty Score, by Conservative Review, has given Gus a score of 62 percent, while the Club for Growth has given Gus a lifetime rating of 68 percent as a conservative.
“These are failing grades under any litmus test,” said Judge. “Gus’s record demonstrates not only his lack of conservatism, but his FEC reports also detail how he has made a career out of taking special interest contributions.”
According to the Federal Election Commission, Gus has raked in more than 3,600 special interest contributions, from the likes of Pfizer, Facebook, Disney, Target, BlackRock and many more organizations, which Judge says oppose conservative and traditional family values.
Gus has also supported radical leftwing initiatives by voting for funding diversity, equity and inclusion training for the military, Judge said.
“I served in the military. The last thing we need is more socialist indoctrination funded by money, which is being borrowed from China, with the obligation to pay that debt being passed on to the American taxpayer’s children. Our armed services should be focused on preparing to hunt down America’s enemies and how to effectively send them to the gates of hell, not pandering to communist interests, which promote anti-American, anti-family, DEI training and LGBTQ propaganda.”
According to Judge, Republicans need to drop their defensive posture in Washington, and proactively fight to reduce America’s $33 trillion debt and more than $210 trillion in unfunded liabilities, along with tackling critical social issues, which have led to the degradation of traditional American values.
“Each year, for the last 22 years, we have been borrowing money to fund our country’s budget. The last time our country spent less money than we took in from taxes was in 2001. This is completely irresponsible and unsustainable,” said Judge.
Most importantly, Judge says this moment is about leading America back to God and the values found in the Bible, which he says made this country great and allowed for the prosperity of previous generations.
“Many Republican legislators have abandoned Biblical values and have given in to the left-wing mob over and over again,” Judge said. “I think that’s most to blame for the troubles we have in our country today, and it’s time we turn back to these tried-and-true Biblical values, which have made America great.”
It’s important to note that Judge says he does not have anything personal against Bilirakis.
“At the end of the day, while I don’t think Gus is intentionally a bad guy, I just think he is a mediocre Republican at best, and as Americans, I think we deserve so much better,” said Judge.
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 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.