TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa kept her seat in Congress on Tuesday night, beating Republican challenger Mike Beltran, a onetime state House member, in a Florida District 14 that state lawmakers redrew this year in a way expected to help the GOP.
Castor, a Democrat, finished with roughly 51% of the vote, according to unofficial county results. The win extends a congressional career that already covered 11 terms and about two decades in office.
The new map changed the race. Under the previous lines, the district crossed the bay to pick up Pinellas County and St. Petersburg neighborhoods that lean Democratic. The redrawn version sits entirely within Hillsborough County, taking in much of Tampa plus conservative-leaning communities to the south and east.
That meant Castor had to introduce herself to many voters she had never represented, including residents of unincorporated areas such as Bloomingdale. Some voters in East Tampa precincts that once belonged to the district found she was no longer on their ballots.
Castor spoke to supporters at the Tampa Bay History Center, calling the new lines a gerrymander and thanking voters across party lines. She said lowering the cost of living would be her top priority in the next term, along with fighting government corruption and cutting the influence of special interest money in campaigns. She said outside groups spent about $25 million against her, while some 16,000 individual donors backed her campaign.
Beltran gathered with supporters at American Social. He said the loss did not come from a lack of effort or fundraising, and said he plans to run for the seat again in 2028.
The district was one of four Florida congressional seats that the Republican-controlled Legislature made more favorable to GOP candidates under this year’s map.
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