Congressional Run

State Representative Bob Cortes issued the following statement today regarding the 2018 elections:
“Several weeks ago, a news story broke that I was considering becoming a candidate for Congressional District 7. The truth is that I was and have been for a couple of months. Almost immediately after the general election in 2016, I had been approached by friends, donors, and Republican leadership to consider a candidacy against Stephanie Murphy.
“The reason why I took the urging so seriously is because I do believe that central Florida is being misrepresented by Mrs. Murphy and that she needs to come home. She has shown an immediate inclination to fall in lockstep with her caucus leadership in Washington instead of truly representing the people that elected her. We just finished an election that was akin to a revolution. Americans across the land just loudly stated that they were done with the insider-driven politics and politicians that spend their time concerned only about what the beltway thinks.
“I also took this opportunity seriously because I believe it is time for conservative Puerto Ricans to take a leadership role on the national political scene. For too long, the Puerto Rican community has been thought of as a sub-set of the Democrat party. More and more of my Puerto Rican colleagues have become disenchanted with big government solutions. Liberals always over-promise and never deliver. In fact, the island of Puerto Rico itself has become a microcosm of this phenomenon. Too much spending, too much government, and too much regulation have killed off private enterprise, encouraged corruption, and left the middle class and working families behind. That’s why Puerto Ricans are moving to Florida for the opportunity that Republican leadership provides. Again, Stephanie Murphy has shown herself to be an avid supporter of Obamacare, higher taxes, and government interventionist policy that will bankrupt our country and do nothing for the people that she is supposedly inclined to help.
“Virginia and I have been gratified by the outpouring of support over the past several weeks. We sought God’s direction in prayer, and we have been encouraged on so many fronts. I am not saying that I will never do it, but now is not the time.
“The voters elected me to do a job in Tallahassee. There is still much more work to be done, and I have decided to keep my efforts, for the moment, focused on serving my constituents in the legislature. We have the opportunity over the next few years to make Florida the top economy in the world. Let’s make the most of it.”
About Bob Cortes for State Representative
Bob was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2014.  Previously, he served as mayor of Longwood and on the Longwood City Commission beginning in November 2009. In 2012, he was re-elected to a second term. He is a member of the Seminole County Community Traffic Safety Team and a graduate of the Florida League of Cities Institute for Elected Municipal Officials. He is a member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). With this organization, Bob has participated in several institutes, including the Newly Elected Leadership Institute, the Redistricting Institute, and the Fiscal Policy Institute hosted by NALEO and the Kellogg School of Business. Bob grew up in New York and Puerto Rico and moved to Central Florida in 1989. He founded Cortes Towing Service, a successful small business now in operation for over two decades. In 2011, he started another venture, Cortrans Shuttle Service, a transportation provider that serves Orlando Sanford International Airport, Orlando International Airport, the Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal, and area attractions. He was recently named one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando. He and his wife, Virginia, are members of St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Altamonte Springs. They are blessed with three grandchildren.
ON THE WEB:  www.bobcortes.com

Paid by Bob Cortes, Republican, for State Representative