Janelle Irwin Taylor
Combat Veteran Nathan Nelson is suspending his campaign for Florida’s 1st Congressional District in deference to President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement for Florida Chief Financial Office Jimmy Patronis.
Nelson had been one of several candidates vying for the panhandle-based district after former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned to pursue Trump’s appointment to U.S. Attorney General. Gaetz eventually withdrew himself from consideration for the post amid a flurry of backlash surrounding an ethics investigation into alleged inappropriate relationships with minors.
But Gaetz has said he won’t pursue his old Congressional seat, which created a frenzy of GOP hopefuls declaring their intent to run for the seat. But candidates began withdrawing after Trump announced his “complete and total” endorsement for Patronis.
That list now includes Nelson.
“I’m grateful for the outpouring of support from the community calling me to represent Northwest Florida in Congress,” he said Wednesday, adding that he and his campaign “fully support President Donald Trump’s decision to endorse Jimmy Patronis.”
Nelson said he hopes “to work closely with (Patronis) in the future to strengthen our military mission and defense base in Northwest Florida.”
Nelson previously served as Director of Military Affairs for Gaetz. Nelson, before serving as an adviser to Gaetz, served as an intelligence officer for Air Force Special Operations Command. During his third deployment to Afghanistan, Nelson was paralyzed from the chest down during a rocket attack.
Michelle Salzman, John Frankman and Keith Gross had already bowed out of the CD 1 race. Still remaining in the race on the GOP side are Bernadette Pittman, Joel Rudman, Gene Valentino and Jeff Witt.
Valentino suffered a blow Wednesday when Tom Homan, a former Acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who has now been tapped by Trump to be the incoming administration’s Border Czar, rescinded his endorsement for Valentino, instead backing Patronis in deferment to his new boss.
As Gaetz’s Director of Military Affairs, Nelson focused on Northwest Florida’s military mission and worked to align local, state, and federal efforts in the base-heavy Florida Panhandle. He said he spearheaded efforts in the office to increase collaboration between the defense industry and the warfighter, fostering innovation to reduce costs to taxpayers. He also worked with universities on needs for STEM workforce development programs that aided military efforts in the region.
After working for Gaetz, Nelson entered the private sector and worked with defense contractors. His LinkedIn page indicates that he currently works for Integrated Solutions for Systems and previously worked for Northwest Florida Supercomputer Research Group. The veteran also works as an inspirational speaker, discussing faith and resiliency.
Nelson lives in Santa Rosa County with his wife, Jennifer, and two children. The family attends Destiny Worship Center.
Located in the Panhandle and anchored by Pensacola, the district is one of the state’s most conservative. Gaetz was elected to the seat in 2016, winning more than 69% of the vote. This year, he secured re-election with 66% of the vote. Florida’s 1st Congressional District is overwhelmingly conservative, with more than 53% of the electorate registered as Republican, according to the most recent L2 voter data. Only 22% of the district’s voters are registered as Democrats.
A Special Election in CD1 was called last Friday. The qualifying period will be compressed from Dec. 5-6. The Primary Election will occur on Jan. 28. The Special General Election Day will occur on April 1.
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Florida Politics reporter Jacob Ogles contributed to this post.
