CAMARILLO, CA - Today, the Gorell for Congress campaign announced that former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice has endorsed Jeff Gorell for California's 26th Congressional District.

Statement from former Secretary of State Rice:

"The United States faces challenges both at home and abroad. We need leaders in Washington who understand the importance of America's role in the world and are willing to combat the threats against us. As a naval intelligence officer, Jeff Gorell has served our country with honor and integrity to find solutions to these challenges. America needs lawmakers, like Jeff, who understand our increasingly complex world. Join me in supporting Jeff Gorell for Congress on election day."

Statement from Jeff Gorell:

"I am truly honored by Secretary Rice's endorsement. As our nation's former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, I had the pleasure to serve under her leadership. She is a global leader and a role model for millions of women and girls around the world.

I am deeply grateful for her support of my campaign for Congress."

Commander Gorell, a Navy intelligence officer, was mobilized and embedded with the U.S. Marines in Helmand, Afghanistan from 2011-2012. He was the officer-in-charge of a targeting cell, tracking Taliban movements and other insurgents. He had previously been deployed to Afghanistan in 2002. Assemblyman Jeff Gorell was elected to the California legislature in 2010 where he serves as Vice Chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee. From 1999 to 2006, Gorell served as a Ventura County District Attorney. In addition to his military service as Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, Jeff is also on the faculty of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks where he has been an adjunct professor of public policy since 2006.