The qualifying period run for the First Congressional District seat has begun to take shape. The period ends at noon today.
A new candidate announced and qualified yesterday: Navarre High School math teacher Jeff Peacock.
WHO? Peacock has deep roots in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, where his family has lived for four generations. Born in Century, Escambia County, he now makes his home in Pace with his wife, Jodi Nellums Peacock.
- His entrepreneurial background includes founding multiple small businesses in the area, such as a Pensacola-based video production company and a printing operation in Pace.
- Before taking his current position as a teacher at Navarre High School, Peacock worked as a senior campaign advisor to Congressman Lee Zeldin, who was later nominated by President-Elect Trump to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
- His educational background spans several prestigious institutions, including Pensacola Junior College, Florida State University, the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
WHY? “I’m not a career politician looking for a promotion; I’m a teacher. I understand the challenges faced by everyday residents of our district, and I want to be their voice in Washington.”
His candidacy would focus on three key areas: reforming our education system to emphasize more local control, working against inflationary governmental policies that increase the cost of necessities for everyday Americans, and fighting to ensure veterans in our community get the services they deserve.
WHO FROM ESCAMBIA? Escambia County has the most registered voters in the district but has been the home to a congressman since Joe Scarborough. The county has three candidates in the GOP primary: Greg Merk, Gene Valentino and Michael Dylan Thompson.
Republicans – 8
| Gaffney, Kevin J. (REP) | Qualified |
| Merk, Greg (REP) | Qualified |
| Mills, John (REP) | Qualified |
| Patronis, Jimmy (REP) | Qualified |
| Peacock, Jeff (REP) | Qualified |
| Rudman, Joel (REP) | Qualified |
| Thompson, Michael Dylan (REP) | Qualified |
| Valentino, Gene (REP) | Qualified |
Democrats – 1
| Valimont, Gay (DEM) | Qualified |
Write-in – 2
| Dembinsky, Richard Paul (WRI) | Qualified |
| Gray, Stanley (WRI) | Qualified |
