Rep. Laurel Lee, the only Florida member of Congress to endorse Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid, is squarely in Donald Trump’s revenge path. Two candidates have announced their runs against her this month, following Trump’s call for “great MAGA Republicans looking to run against Laurel Lee” on Truth Social. Florida’s congressional candidate filing deadline is at the end of April.
“Reporting for duty, Mr. President!” Florida veteran James Judge, who won the Republican primary in Rep. Kathy Castor’s longtime Democratic district in 2022, announced on his campaign website this month. Judge hopped over to Lee’s race from running against Gus Bilirakis this cycle after Trump endorsed Bilirakis.
The other candidate, Brian Perras, told NOTUS that Trump’s post also inspired him to jump in the race, though he’s had little success garnering investment or widespread support in previous political races.