U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis says the job is more fun than he expected.
Fifteen months into a congressional career that began with an April 2025 special election, the Panama City native has a theory about why Washington has been friendlier to him than advertised: Half of Congress already loves his district.
“You’ve got all these members of Congress from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas. They all vacation in Northwest Florida,” Patronis said. “We’re their closest beaches. For me, being a product of the hospitality industry, I love to entertain.”
Whether that’s enough for voters is the question on Aug. 18. Patronis, 54, faces former Army Green Beret John Frankman and Navy veteran Doug Chico in the Republican primary. Waiting in November is Democrat Gay Valimont, who lost to Patronis by 9 percentage points in the April 2025 special election but carried Escambia County.
Patronis has endorsements from President Donald Trump for the second straight election cycle. On July 6, Patronis also secured endorsements from all four sheriffs in the district.
