FIRST ON FOX: Fighter pilot and decorated combat veteran Jeff Witt announced Monday that he is entering the race to replace former Rep. That of Matt Gaetz representing Florida’s 1st Congressional District as a Republican who pledges to “fight to control inflation, secure our borders, and strengthen our military,” while working with other Republican lawmakers to pass the “L President Trump’s ‘America First’, Fox News Digital has learned.

Witt, 38, is a two-time Harvard University graduate, businessman, decorated Afghanistan War veteran, F-35 fighter pilot and instructor with more than a dozen years of military service. Witt flew 82 combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

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Witt currently serves as a policy advisor on the Trump-Vance presidential transition team.

“I have served my country in uniform for 14 years and my dedication to service extends to the community in which my family and I live,” Witt told Fox News Digital. “I’m excited to meet voters across the district in this campaign and prove to them that they can trust me to be a leader in Congress who represents them with conviction, hard work and integrity.”

Witt told Fox News Digital that he “will fight to bring inflation under control, secure our borders and strengthen our military.”

Jeff and his wife Courtney are the proud parents of four young children: Joan (6 years), Kirby (5 years), Grace (3 years) and Charlie (8 months).

“I will listen to the needs of my constituents and work on their behalf to make Florida’s 1st District the best place in America for veterans, businesses and families,” he said.

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Witt and his wife Courtney are the parents of four young children, Joan, 6; Kirby, 5; Grace, 3; and Charlie, 8 months. The Witt family resides in Niceville, Florida, where he is an active member of his church and teaches at his children’s Sunday school.

Witt attended Harvard University for his undergraduate studies and was a football quarterback at Harvard. He also received his master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University.

Jeff has 14 years of military service and is a decorated veteran of the war in Afghanistan. He flew 82 combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (Jeff Witt)

A member of the Club for Growth 2024, Witt has previously been endorsed by senior Trump administration officials, including former Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie.

“Jeff Witt is a patriot and a strong supporter of President Trump and his America First agenda,” Wilkie told Fox News Digital. “As the former Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Trump, I know that Jeff’s mission will always be to put warriors first. I am honored to give Jeff my full support.”

Wilkie told Fox News Digital that Witt “stands for the good things: family and freedom.”

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“There will be no one better than Jeff Witt to represent Florida’s 1st Congressional District,” former Air National Guard Director Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Stanley Clarke told Fox News Digital.

Witt served under Clarke, who hailed him as “an extraordinary father, husband and officer who dedicated his life to serving this great country.”

“A true American patriot who will serve Americans with honor and distinction,” Clarke said of Witt.

Witt’s campaign comes after Trump nominated Gaetz as attorney general to lead the Justice Department during his second term.

Gaetz had represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District from January 2017 until earlier this month, when he resigned from his position after receiving the nomination for attorney general.

Born in Orlando, Witt now resides with his family in Niceville. Witt is a Christian and an active member of his church, where he teaches children’s Sunday school.

Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general Thursday, saying his confirmation process was “unfairly becoming a distraction from the critical work of the Trump-Vance transition.”

Gaetz resigned his seat representing Florida’s 1st Congressional District earlier this month when President Trump nominated him to be attorney general. Gaetz has since withdrawn his name to lead the Justice Department, but said Friday he would not attempt to return to Congress.

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Witt joins a growing Republican field of candidates vying for the seat, including Florida State Sen. Michelle Salzman, Dr. Joel Rudman; Keith Gross and John Frankman; Bernadette Pittman; and former federal government official and teacher Kevin Gaffney.

The date for the special election has not yet been set.

Witt is the brother of Patrick Witt, a member of the Trump transition team who ran for statewide office in Georgia in 2022 with the support of President Trump. Patrick Witt also served in the first Trump administration as deputy chief of staff in the Office of Personnel Management.