Kathy Castor holds Tampa House seat as GOP-targeted redistricting fails
The gist
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor won Florida's District 14 with 51% over Republican Mike Beltran.
The Tampa seat was redrawn to favor the GOP, so holding it matters.
How it unfolded
- Aug 18, 2026Beltran won the Republican primary for District 14, setting up a challenge to Castor in a district newly drawn to sit entirely within Hillsborough County.
- Nov 2, 2026More than 300,000 early voters in Hillsborough County had already cast ballots, part of 5.4 million of Florida's 13.7 million voters voting by mail or early.
- Nov 3, 2026Polls closed at 7 p.m. across Hillsborough County, with preliminary results held until 8 p.m. EST because the state spans two time zones; the Department of Justice sent election monitors to county polling sites.