Ralph Groves

Ralph Groves is the Libertarian Party candidate for Florida's 11th Congressional District. A retired U.S. Army major and Iraq War veteran, he worked as a civilian Defense Intelligence Agency analyst from 1999 to 2018 and is a former chairman of the Libertarian Party of Orange County. His campaign website says he is running on an anti-war platform, protecting Medicare and Social Security, and gun ownership.[1][2][3]

Groves served on active duty in the Army in the United States and Germany, including with Military Intelligence Group-Europe in Heidelberg, before moving into civilian service as a Defense Department analyst.[2][3] He earned a Doctor of Arts degree in history from St. John's University, according to his campaign website.[3] From 1999 to 2018 he worked as a civilian analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency, covering West African countries from RAF Molesworth, England, from 1999 to 2015 and then Iran from DIA headquarters in Washington, including a year at the Pentagon from 2015 to 2018.[2]

Groves also served in the Army Reserve as a detachment commander with the 209th Army Liaison Team. He was mobilized for the Iraq War in 2008 and 2009 on the staff of General Petraeus in Baghdad, and he retired from the Army as a major in 2010.[2] He has written books and scholarly articles on Iran, Afghanistan and Cote d'Ivoire, including Soviet Raison d'etat and Relations with Iran's Communist Parties, 1920-1979 and Iran's Shi'ite Clerics' Opposition to the Shah, 1959-1979.[2]

Groves is a former chairman of the Libertarian Party of Orange County and, according to his campaign website, is active with the American Legion and the Southeastern Food Bank.[2][4][3] He lives in Ocoee, Florida, and his campaign website says he is married and has five children and three grandchildren.[2][3]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.