Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno announces he will not run for Congress

LEE COUNTY, Fla. —

In a statement posted to his official X account Monday evening, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno announced that he has decided not to run for a seat in the U.S. Congress.

Marceno said in part, "Today, we are safer than we have ever been and I will continue to make our community, state, and nation proud as a tried and true, law and order sheriff."

Gulf Coast News previously reported on speculation that the sheriff was considering a run for Congress within the past year.

Below is the full statement from Marceno on his decision:

"President Trump has inspired a new awakening of patriotism to which many of us have been called to double our efforts to make America great again. In that spirit, I took a hard look at serving our community, state, and nation as a United States Congressman. Fighting on the national level alongside our President would be a dream come true. However, after careful consideration on how I can best serve my community – a community I love and cherish – I have decided I can best serve by putting criminals behind bars and protecting our most vulnerable as your Sheriff. This was not a decision I took lightly, as I love the residents of Lee County. Today, we are safer than we have ever been, and I will continue to make our community, state, and nation proud as a tried and true, law and order sheriff.”

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Gulf Coast News is working to confirm more details about what led to his decision.

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