Hours after he announced that he would not seek a fourth term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent, R-Fla., threw his support behind his former chief of staff Justin Grabelle to replace him.
Before working for Nugent, Grabelle was an aide to U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., including serving as her chief of staff. In 2010, Brown-Waite ended her reelection bid at the last moment due to health reasons and threw her support behind Nugent.
Nugent praised the new candidate on Monday.
“Justin has been a close and trusted advisor for me during my time in Congress, and it’s because he shares my view on what it means to be a public servant,” Nugent said. “Justin believes that if you are willing to sacrifice, to lead from the front, to make the tough decisions and be honest with people, there is nothing you can’t accomplish.”
“He’s spent years in the trenches fighting on behalf of veterans and seniors,” Nugent added. “He knows the issues, he knows the people, he has the will to fight, and a clear picture of what needs to get done. Justin represents the very best of a new generation of conservative leaders and I am excited to see what he can accomplish.”
Grabelle started the race by promising to fight for conservative policy.
“Today, with humility and gratitude, I am announcing my candidacy for Florida Congressional District 11,” said Grabelle. “As my family and I begin this campaign, I want to make a solemn pledge to the people I seek to represent – you have my word that I will always go to the mat for you and the conservative principles we share and believe in. The cooperate-to-graduate mentality is a career politician’s way of thinking. I support term limits, will abide by them, and will use that freedom to fight for your benefit and not my own.
“For the last five years, I’ve had the honor of being able to fight alongside former Hernando County Sheriff and now-Congressman Rich Nugent in his push for stronger conservative leadership in Washington,” Grabelle added. “It hasn’t always been easy, but as I’ve learned from my good friend and mentor, if you stay true to your principles and you listen to the people, the results are sure to come. Congressman Nugent’s support means the world to me, and I thank him for his encouragement as I work to build on his legacy of service and conservative leadership.
“America is headed in the wrong direction,” Grabelle insisted. “Fixing that is simple – it means returning to the principles that have carried this country forward for 200 years. It means rewarding honesty and hard work. It means putting the government back in its place. And, it certainly means lifting the suffocating weight of Obamacare off of our families and small businesses. If America’s early history taught us anything, it’s that a truly free people don’t need to depend on the government for everything. It’s high time we got back to that basic principle.
“We know how to lead our lives and run this country because our grandparents and their parents showed us the right path,” Grabelle said in conclusion. “The politicians in Washington need to see that conservative path is still possible today and that it’s the only way we’ll ever get this country back on to the road to prosperity. Lastly, we must tackle veterans’ disability reform. This vital system must be rethought, and major policy changes are needed to restore and fix it. I’ve been in the trenches for 10 years fighting for better veterans policy and I am ready to lead from the front.”
Nugent has kept the seat easily for Republicans in the last two election cycles. Currently the seat starts in Ocala and heads southwest to the Gulf shore, stopping in Spring Hill. The seat is solidly Republican though it could be altered as the state judicial branch continues to grapple with legislative redistricting.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
