U.S. House race · November 3, 2026
U.S. Representative, Florida District 14
Represents the district in the U.S. House of Representatives, which writes federal laws, approves the federal budget and taxes, and oversees the executive branch.
2-year term. Under the 2026 map, the district lies entirely within Hillsborough County; it no longer crosses Tampa Bay into Pinellas County and shifts from Tampa toward southern and eastern Hillsborough County. Write-in candidates Salomon Hernandez Sr. and Keith Varian have also qualified.
The candidates
Listed alphabetically by last name.
Mike Beltran
Attorney; former Florida state representativeMike Beltran is an attorney and Republican who represented a Hillsborough County district in the Florida House from 2018 to 2024. His campaign focuses on balancing the federal budget, completing the border wall, limiting the federal government's role in the economy and lowering costs.
Kathy Castor
U.S. Representative, Florida District 14 (since 2013)Kathy Castor is a Democrat first elected to the U.S. House in 2006 and a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Her campaign emphasizes federal investments she has secured for the Tampa area, lowering family costs and protecting Florida's environment.
Brian Lambert
U.S. Navy veteranBrian Lambert is a 20-year U.S. Navy veteran and the Libertarian Party nominee. His campaign focuses on limiting the federal government to its constitutional powers, balancing the budget and protecting individual liberty.
Compare on the issues
Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.
| Issue | Mike Beltran Republican | Kathy Castor Democratic | Brian Lambert Libertarian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Care | Points to his state legislative work expanding telehealth access and removing rules he says blocked new clinics from opening. | Says she wants to keep health care affordable; voted in January 2026 to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. | Supports patient choice, price transparency and competition, with less federal involvement in health care. |
| Economy & Jobs | Says Congress should stay within its Article I, Section 8 powers and government should limit its economic role to consumer protection and safety. | Says she works to grow the middle class and support small businesses as well as employers such as Port Tampa Bay, the University of South Florida and Moffitt Cancer Center. | No public position found yet |
| Immigration | Supports completing the border wall. | No public position found yet | Supports securing every border and port of entry while supporting legal immigration. |
| Education | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Says education is not one-size-fits-all and parents should be empowered. |
| Energy & Environment | No public position found yet | Says she has worked to enforce environmental and growth management laws protecting wetlands, Florida's coastline and sensitive lands. | No public position found yet |
| Foreign Policy | Says the military should be used to protect American interests and allies should bear more of the cost of their own defense. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Guns | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Supports protecting the right to keep and bear arms “without compromise.” |
| Housing | No public position found yet | Says she secured more than $76 million to build and preserve affordable housing in Tampa. | No public position found yet |
| Taxes | Says Congress needs to balance the budget, noting that interest on the accrued debt now drives most of the deficit. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Veterans | No public position found yet | Says she secured funding for a new bed tower at the James A. Haley VA hospital and for expanding the Tinker PreK-8 school on MacDill Air Force Base. | No public position found yet |