Brady Duke, a Christian minister and former Navy SEAL sniper, announced as a Republican to challenge Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) on Tuesday as the Democrat tries to retain her seat after backtracking on her Senate primary bid against Rep. Val Demings (D-FL).
Duke is a native of central Florida who served the United States as a Navy SEAL after completing the rigorous BUD/S program in 2007. “He served in multiple tours in Afghanistan and the Middle-East, operating as a sniper and breacher,” according to his press release.
Upon the news of Murphy backtracking and wanting to keep her seat, instead of facing Demings in a primary, Duke told Breitbart News exclusively he “thinks it speaks to her motivations politically.” He added, “It sounds like she’s more so in it for her own political gain and pursuing, what’s best for herself and her political career, rather than the American people.”
Duke said he “wants to serve the people well,” as he did in the military and not play politics like Murphy.
He continued to say the three main things he believes will be a key factor in the race are border security, election security, and the amount of taxes President Joe Biden and the far-left are trying to put on the American people.
On border security, he said, “our politicians have compromised for way too long on this. We need to establish a secure border.” He said the United States “needs to ensure the elections are secure,” since those problems threaten the nation’s security.
Lastly, the tax increases Biden is putting forth are “scary,” he said. Being a father of five, he could tell the tax rates can hinder the nation’s growth.
I’ve served our nation in combat. I looked into the face of evil. I am not going to back down from any fight in Washington. As a father of five, I fought to protect American families overseas, and I'm ready to do it again in Congress. #FL07
— Brady Duke (@BradyDukeFL) May 25, 2021
In his press release, he said, “Now, I’m a husband and father of five, and I’ve seen too many professional politicians compromising our country’s future and security.” He continued to add, “I’m ready to face these challenges to cut taxes, secure our border, defend life, and ensure the safety of our families at home and abroad.”
Murphy said in a statement Monday, “We’ve had too many close losses in Florida, and so I wanted to use my experience from winning tough races to help the party prepare itself.” This came after one of Murphy’s aides told Florida Politics she would challenge Demings in the Democrat primary.
Camille Gallo, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), told Breitbart News via email that “Stephanie Murphy votes in lockstep with Nancy Pelosi’s socialist agenda and will be fired by Floridians in 2022.”
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