Conservative Republican Ted Yoho Formally Announces Candidacy and
Qualifies to Challenge Cliff Stearns in New North Central Florida
Congressional District Gainesville, Fla., February 20, 2012 - Ted Yoho, a small businessman and
veterinarian who has lived and worked in the district for almost three
decades, announced on Friday that he is running as a Republican for the
U.S. House of Representatives in the new Congressional District 3, taking
on Cliff Stearns who has been in Congress for nearly a quarter of a
century. The Florida Division of Elections website confirmed that Yoho is the
first candidate residing in this district to qualify by petition for the
August 14 Republican primary. Yoho worked in the district for 28 years as a veterinarian, retiring
January 1st of this year in order to dedicate his full time and energy to
his campaign. "Working every day with farmers, ranchers and local small businesses, I
realized that I was not alone in being worried about what is happening to
north central Florida and our nation," said Yoho. "The people we send to
Congress are not listening to us. Our government has become too large
and so fiscally irresponsible that it has had a dramatically negative
impact on our way of life. We now have an America that seems to be
teetering on the edge of collapse, with our economy flat-lined and our
national security compromised." Yoho said he would run against Stearns, who has failed to chair a major
congressional committee despite being in Congress nearly 25 years. Unlike other candidates who entered the race only after believing they
would not be challenging Stearns, Yoho filed months ago with the intention
of taking on the longtime Beltway resident. "As a small business owner and large animal veterinarian, I have a
different perspective than the career politicians. Unlike the entrenched
politician, I have been in the trenches on a daily basis for the last 28
years. Like too many Americans, I have been on the receiving end of the
garbage legislation coming out of Washington," says Yoho. "I`ve been both
an employer and an employee. I know how it feels to sign both sides of the
paycheck. That`s something that my opponents have forgotten in their years
in Washington while standing on the electoral escalator, waiting to move
up to the next office. We need more business sense and common sense in
Washington and that`s what I can bring." The new 3rd Congressional District includes Alachua, Levy, Dixie,
Gilchrist, Columbia, Clay, Union, Bradford, Suwannee, Hamilton, Lafayette,
half of Madison and a part of Marion County. Yoho graduated from the University of Florida where he received his
Bachelors Degree in Agriculture and his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine.
Ted and Carolyn, his wife of 37 years, live in Gainesville and have three
children, one of whom is currently on active duty in the military. | 