Kelly Hayes
Alen Tomczak has announced he is ending his campaign for Florida House District 66 after being called to active duty with the Florida National Guard.
As an active member of the Florida National Guard, Tomczak will be deployed overseas beginning in May, his campaign said. Tomczak, a St. Petersburg Republican, was a front-runner in the race to succeed Rep. Nick DiCeglie in the HD 66 seat. DiCeglie even endorsed Tomczak as his successor.
In a statement about his withdrawal, Tomczak said he hopes one day to run again.
“I want to thank everyone who has volunteered, contributed and endorsed my campaign,” Tomczak said in a statement. “I’m proud to call Pinellas County home and looked forward to a spirited campaign about defending our Pinellas County conservative values. Now I will be defending Pinellas in another way — on active duty overseas. I have always cherished the opportunity to serve my community in any capacity I can, and one day I hope to return to the campaign trail.”
Tomczak’s withdrawal leaves candidates Berny Jacques, a Seminole Republican, and Jennifer Wilson, who has realigned her campaign from HD 66 to House District 59 because of redistricting.
Tomczak proved a successful fundraiser during his run, raising $92,890 for his campaign and another $37,675 for his affiliated political committee, Friends of Alen Tomczak. Tomczak previously worked at Special Operations command and now works in the industry supporting digital forensics for federal government agencies.
He is seeking a master’s degree in strategic intelligence from the University of South Florida. He is still serving in the Army National Guard as an infantry Captain in the Army’s newly stood up Security Force Assistance Brigade, which is a unit that specializes in conducting training and advising on operations with allied and partner nations.
