U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney endorses brother Pat for state House; Valeche also on board

by George Bennett | December 4th, 2009

: Pat Rooney Jr.

: Tom Rooney

: Hal Valeche

It took 37 days, but GOP state House hopeful Pat Rooney Jr. on Thursday was able to lock down the endorsement of his younger brother, Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney of Tequesta.

Tom Rooney released a statement that praises his brother’s business and charity work and says he is “flattered that my older brother is looking to follow in my footsteps by entering public service.”

Pat Rooney, one of three Republicans running for the northern Palm Beach County seat of term-limited Rep. Carl Domino, R-Jupiter, has also received the backing of former Palm Beach Gardens Councilman Hal Valeche. Valeche, a Republican, was considering running for the seat.

Valeche ran against Tom Rooney and former state Rep. Gayle Harrell in a 2008 GOP primary for Congress. In that campaign, social conservative Valeche tangled with the Rooney family over gambling issues. Pat Rooney Jr. is president of the Palm Beach Kennel Club dog track.

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Tags: Hal Valeche, Pat Rooney Jr.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 4th, 2009 at 9:50 am and is filed under 2010 campaigns, George Bennett, Tom Rooney. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney endorses brother Pat for state House; Valeche also on board”

Dean Says:
December 4th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
It’s great to see members of the Rooney family getting involved in politics. They actually listen to people – a trait that’s all too rare amongst politicians.