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Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon becomes the latest in a wave of endorsements.

Dan Green is building a wall of badges behind his bid for Congress.

Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon is endorsing the war veteran and conservative Donald Trump appointee in Florida’s 9th Congressional District, adding the top law enforcement officer in the heart of the district to a roster that already includes Brevard Sheriff Wayne Ivey and a battalion of veterans and conservative leaders.

“When it comes to representing our community in Washington, we need a leader who doesn’t just talk about law and order; they live it,” Blackmon said.

“Dan Green is combat-tested and has consistently shown that he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our first responders, dedicating himself to keeping our families safe. Dan understands the challenges our law enforcement officers face each day, and I know he will fight tirelessly to secure our borders, support law enforcement, and uphold the rule of law. I am proud to endorse America First candidate Dan Green for United States Congress, District 9.”

The endorsement lands as Green, a Vero Beach Republican, presses an outsider-with-a-résumé case in a redrawn, GOP-friendly seat that backed Trump with roughly 58% of the vote. An active drilling reserve officer with the U.S. Navy and 23 years of service, Green served five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a veteran of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and Inherent Resolve.

In 2019, Trump appointed Green to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development. A graduate of Vero Beach High School, where his mother taught for 25 years, he also attended American University, Florida State University and George Washington University. In 2018, he co-founded the War Veterans Fund to help elect war veterans to Congress.

Green faces a crowded Aug. 18 GOP Primary.

VERO BEACH, Fla. — Dan Green, a military veteran and former appointee under President Donald J. Trump, announced a sweeping slate of endorsements Thursday from Florida lawmakers, local officials, and prominent veterans groups for his campaign in Florida’s 9th Congressional District.

The list of backers features major regional figures, including Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, Florida Republican Sen. Danny Burgess, and Florida Republican Rep. Patt Maney, signaling strong institutional support for Green within the GOP primary field.

“The people of District 9 deserve a representative who understands service, sacrifice and the cost of failed leadership in Washington,” Green said in a statement. “I’m running for Congress to stand with President Trump, put hardworking Floridians first and fight for the affordability, safety and opportunity our families deserve.”

Green is a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and continues to serve as an active drilling reservist. His military career includes five combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan spanning Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Inherent Resolve. In 2019, Trump appointed Green to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development.

Public safety and legislative leaders praised Green’s military background and his alignment with the “America First” platform.

“I know he will stand with President Trump to keep our communities safe, protect our military, and grow our economy even stronger,” Sheriff Ivey said. Sen. Burgess, a fellow service member, added that Green is “uniquely qualified to legislate with wisdom, discipline and integrity.”

The campaign highlighted deep roots in the local community by rolling out endorsements from a wide array of Indian River County officials and civic leaders. Among them are Indian River Shores Mayor Brian Foley; Carole Jean Jordan, the Indian River County Tax Collector and former Chair of the Republican Party of Florida; former Tax Collector and State Representative Charlie Sembler; former State Committeeman Joe Coakley; and former Representative Ralph Poppell.

Green also secured backing from business and defense sector leaders, including Dan Richey, President and CEO of Riverfront Packing Co., and Jamal Sowell, the former Secretary of Commerce for Florida.

Members of the veteran and military advocacy community also threw their weight behind Green’s bid. Endorsements came from Félix Rodríguez, a retired U.S. Army and CIA operative; retired U.S. Navy SEAL and highly decorated combat veteran LT Mark Donald; Kris Hager, Chairman of Goldstar Fathers of Florida; and Dr. Justin Valez-Hagan, founder of the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce.

A graduate of Vero Beach High School, Green holds degrees from American University, Florida State University, and George Washington University. In 2018, he co-founded the War Veterans Fund, a political action committee dedicated to electing military veterans to federal office.

Florida’s 9th Congressional District encompasses parts of the regions Green is targeting with his local endorsements, as candidates vie for the seat ahead of the upcoming primary elections.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Republican congressional candidate and military veteran Dan Green emphasized his experience in federal defense policy on Thursday, positioning his campaign for Florida’s 9th Congressional District as a direct conduit for the White House’s “America First” agenda.

🚨 DAN GREEN LAUNCHES BID FOR FLORIDA'S DISTRICT 9: 23-year Navy intelligence officer who served at the Pentagon on 9/11 and deployed five times to Iraq and Afghanistan vows to bring proven leadership, accountability, and direct insight into President Trump’s agenda to Congress… pic.twitter.com/NPN3AVlLhd

— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) June 25, 2026

Speaking on Florida’s Voice Radio with host Brendon Leslie, Green—a 23-year member of the Navy Reserve—vowed to bring his leadership background and institutional experience to Capitol Hill to help implement structural changes in Washington.

“So I think across the range of issues, I’ve got the energy and the drive and the right priorities,” Green said. “But most importantly, having been a Trump appointee, I understand what the President wants.”

Green focused on the economic pressures squeezing Central Florida families, identifying the surging costs of groceries, gasoline, and property insurance as top voter concerns. To combat economic overreach, Green proposed a strict regulatory rule: sunsetting at least two existing federal regulations for every new one introduced by administrative bureaucracies.

A central pillar of Green’s platform is his extensive national security resume. At 25 years old, the Navy intelligence officer was working at the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The event prompted him to volunteer for five subsequent military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, which included two deployments alongside Navy SEAL teams in Fallujah and southern Afghanistan.

Green later served for nearly two years during the first Trump administration as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development. In that role, Green said he worked to pivot the Department of Defense toward prioritizing the long-term threat of Communist China through a doctrine of “peace through strength.

“You can’t have deterrence unless you have a war-winning capability as well,” Green said, noting that his experience navigating the federal apparatus allows him to understand how to deliver results against what he described as entrenched federal bureaucracies.

On domestic policy and governance, Green threw his full support behind the federal Save America Act, which would require proof of citizenship and identification to vote in federal elections. Pointing to his personal experience assisting with the 2000 Florida presidential recount, Green emphasized that safeguarding the integrity of the electoral system remains a paramount priority for defending the republic.

Florida’s 9th Congressional District, currently represented by incumbent Democrat Darren Soto, covers parts of Orange and Osceola counties.

The Pentagon veteran and Trump appointee jumps into a GOP field chasing a seat the new map flipped from blue to a national target.

Dan Green, a Navy reserve officer and Pentagon appointee under President Donald Trump, announced a campaign for Florida’s 9th Congressional District as the state’s congressional qualifying week opened, entering a Republican field that redistricting turned from an afterthought into a real contest.

The Vero Beach Republican said he is putting $1 million of his own money into the race and arrives with the backing of the War Veterans Fund, the group he co-founded in 2018 to elect veterans to Congress.

CD 9 changed more than almost any seat in this round. Under the old lines it was an Osceola-anchored, Hispanic-majority district that Darren Soto had held comfortably since 2017, and one Kamala Harris carried with about 51% in 2024. Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ new map stretched it south through the middle of the peninsula and east to absorb all of Indian River County — Green’s home turf — and the politics flipped with the cartography. Florida Politics’ analysis found Trump would have won the redrawn seat with more than 58%.

That math made CD 9 a national GOP target, and the Republican field is taking shape fast. Soto is running again and is the only incumbent in the contest. On the GOP side, Green joins a primary that already includes retired Marine and former F-18 pilot Justin Story, who has qualified by petition, and 2024 nominee Thomas Chalifoux, among others. The most prominent local Republican, state Rep. Robert Brackett of Vero Beach, took a pass on the seat last month to defend his House district — leaving Green, also of Vero Beach, as the field’s most notable Treasure Coast entrant against a roster rooted in Osceola County.

Green’s pitch leans on his résumé. He spent 23 years in the Navy, mobilized for tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, and was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development in 2019, a role on the team that writes the National Defense Strategy. His campaign says he also carries endorsements from more than half a dozen congressional war veterans.

Green framed the run in combat terms. “I didn’t fight radical extremists overseas just to stand by and watch left-wing extremists attack our freedoms here at home,” he said, adding that he is running to “make America affordable again” for “Florida’s families, farmers and small business owners.”

More on his campaign is at DanGreenFL.com. Florida’s primary is Aug. 18.