Florida Maj. Bret Wedding runs for office day after Afghanistan deployment

Just back from Afghanistan, reservist launches campaign for state House District 63 seat
Tampa Bay Online
Richard Danielson
Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 13, 2013

TAMPA — Late last week, Maj. Bret Wedding returned from a six-month deployment as a logistics officer for troops fighting in Afghanistan.

The next day, Wedding, 37, became a candidate for the state House of Representatives in District 63, which covers parts of New Tampa and northern Hillsborough County.

The Air Force reservist is running in the Republican primary, where he would face former state representative and ex-Tampa City Council member Shawn Harrison. Incumbent Rep. Mark Danish is the only Democrat in the race.

Wedding said as a legislator he would focus on job creation, transparency, keeping government small, taxes low and families safe.

"We need some people who are here to serve the people they are supposed to be representing, and not their own selfish needs," he said. "We need to get back to the basics of principles over politics."

As of Wednesday, Wedding was not a registered voter in Hillsborough County. He said he believed he was, and that he went to the Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Office last year to register and vote in the presidential election. Elections office spokeswoman Gerri Kramer said Wedding did cast a provisional ballot last November, but it was rejected because he was not a registered voter.

"I'm glad you told me," he told a reporter. "I will be ensuring that I re-register."

Wedding is scheduled to kick off his campaign tonight at the Embassy Suites near the University of South Florida. Supporter John Sykes, the founder of Sykes Enterprises, praised Wedding as someone who is independent, "who knows what he wants to accomplish, and you don't have to second-guess his word."

Wedding is commander of the 927th Logistics Readiness Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, an assignment he's had since 2010. His latest deployment was his fifth. In Afghanistan, his duties included leading teams responsible for logistics, civil engineering, human resources, contracting, communication and more in support of combat operations.
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