GatorPAC’s Veterans Leadership Fund backs Jerry Torres in CD 14

A veterans’ group wants to see former Green Beret Jerry Torres in Congress.

GatorPAC, a group chaired by retired Colonel Rob Maness, announced its political committee Veterans Leadership Fund had endorsed Torres’ bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, a Tampa Democrat, in Florida’s 14th Congressional District.

“Jerry Torres will be a champion for Floridians in Congress as he has been a champion for this country in his military service,” Maness said. “He has shown extraordinary leadership both on the battlefield and in business, proving he has the experience to get this country back on the right track.”

Torres is self-funding a campaign for Congress. While he initially had filed for an open seat in Florida’s 15th Congressional District, he since shifted his candidacy to try and flip the Tampa Bay seat.

The candidate served in the Army for 30 years, retiring with the rank of Master Sergeant. He later worked in global security consulting and founded Torres Advanced Enterprise Solutions, a Florida-based company sold in 2019.

The record in uniform played a major role in GatorPAC’s support, Maness said.

“Jerry Torres will be a champion for Floridians in Congress as he has been a champion for this country in his military service,” Maness said. “He has shown extraordinary leadership both on the battlefield and in business, proving he has the experience to get this country back on the right track.”

The group also will make it a priority to regain a Republican majority in the U.S. House, a mission that requires flipping some seats blue.

“Jerry Torres is running to unseat a Democrat who has enabled the (Joe) Biden administration’s reckless, inflationary policies,” Maness said. “I have no doubt he will make an excellent Congressman who stands up for conservative values.”

Flipping the seat may not be easy this year. A new congressional map signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis leaves CD 14 with a stronger blue lean, as districts around it became more red. About 58.8% of voters in the new configuration of CD 14 voted for Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election, compared to 39.72% who supported Republican Donald Trump.