U.S. House | District 5, Republican primary

Winner: Ginny Brown-Waite

On the ballot, but no race

For Republican voters, the Aug. 26 primary ballot will include a race for a District 5 congressional nominee.

But the vote is moot now that Jim King, a Land O’Lakes Republican, dropped his bid to challenge incumbent Ginny Brown-Waite.

King began his campaign in late 2007 with poignant attacks on Brown-Waite and paid advertisements on local radio stations. But he was sidetracked last month after the St. Petersburg Times revealed he made inaccurate claims about his medical credentials and his time in Afghanistan in 2001.

Five days later, King, 53, mailed a termination report to the Federal Elections Commission, effectively closing his campaign.

The Times also reported on documents detailing King’s bankruptcy and criminal record in Naples and a previous job as general manager at Caliente, a nudist resort in Pasco County.

In recent weeks, King has refused numerous requests for details about his background or comment about the revelations.

Local election officials said King’s withdrawal from the race came too late to remove his name from the primary ballot.

— John Frank, Times staff writer