Jerry Rutherford endorsement gives conservative cred to Greg Folley in HD 81

Greg Folley, via Folley campaign.

Marco Island Republican Greg Folley has secured an important endorsement for his House run from Collier County School Board member Jerry Rutherford.

“Greg Folley’s concerns are the same as our concerns, among which are closing the border to stop the flow of drugs, crime and human trafficking, and returning our American culture of God, family and country to our nation and our classrooms,” Rutherford said.

The social conservative backed Folley in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Bob Rommel, a Naples Republican. There, Folley faces Moms for Liberty chapter Chair Yvette Benarroch, who has stressed her support for conservative education reform.

Rutherford has been involved in the movement for decades. He chaired the Christian Coalition chapter in Collier County in 1992 and 1993 and founded World Changers of Florida a decade ago. He praised Folley’s political and professional background.

“Greg was involved with the (Ronald) Reagan campaign and was an executive with Caterpillar, but couldn’t sit still after he retired, so he ran for the Marco Island City Council,” Rutherford said

“While there, Greg has been instrumental in driving pension reforms that have benefited our firefighters and police force and has followed the lead of our Collier County Commissioners in sponsoring a Constitutionally Protected Freedom Zone. He also sponsored the Marco Island Health Care Bill of Rights.”

Folley embraced the support.

“Jerry has been a strong voice for the best interests of students and their families on our School Board here in Collier County,” Folley said.

“He believes in upholding our Constitution and defending the traditional values at the heart of our nation. There is a war being waged against our children, and we must continue to stand up and fight for them before it’s too late. I applaud Jerry for leading the fight to protect our children and look forward to working with him at the state level to keep this momentum going. His endorsement in this race for HD-81 means a great deal as we enter the home stretch leading up to election day.”

The winner of the Aug. 20 Republican Primary will face Democrat Chuck Work, a former Reagan administration official.