Iraq War veteran to run for Miller congressional seat

BY THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

An Iraq War veteran who served as a military adviser to U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller will try to succeed Miller in Northwest Florida's Congressional District 1, according to a campaign announcement Thursday. Republican James Zumwalt will face state Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, and possibly other candidates in the Aug. 30 GOP primary. The western Panhandle seat became open when Miller announced he will not seek re-election this fall. The announcement Thursday said Zumwalt served two tours in Iraq and was awarded a Bronze Star. It said he then served as an analyst at the Pentagon before becoming an adviser to Miller. "As a combat veteran of the United States Navy and a national security expert with service at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, I cannot stand by as our Constitution is eroded by career politicians more interested in personal gain than the future of our nation,'' Zumwalt said in a prepared statement.