Pinellas Democrats retain House seats despite redistricting

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor retained her seat in Congressional District 14 on Tuesday, defeating former state Rep. Mike Beltran in a race shaped by new state maps. The victory preserves the Democratic presence in a district that now covers more of Hillsborough County than the previous version, which included a larger portion of Pinellas County.

Castor is one of four Democrats who held their seats in heavily reworked U.S. House districts. In Congressional District 25, incumbent Jared Moskowitz defeated Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer. In Congressional District 22, first-time candidate Pia Dandiya beat businessman Casey Askar. In Congressional District 9, incumbent Darren Soto led Republican Dan Green by a narrow margin of 0.52 percentage points, a lead that avoids a mandatory recount under state law.

The new district boundaries were drawn by the Florida Legislature and signed by President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis. The map altered 20 of the state's 28 U.S. House districts. When the Legislature passed the map in April, analysts predicted that four districts held by Democrats would flip to the Republican column. Castor's old district leaned Democratic, while the new district voted for Trump by 11 points in the 2024 presidential election.

Suzan DelBene, chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, issued a statement praising Castor's victory. She said that Tampa voters know who has their backs and that the win reflects the candidate's deep roots in the community. DelBene described the victory as a result of Castor's independent leadership and commitment to the people she serves.

Republicans maintained control of the Florida delegation despite the Democratic gains in specific districts. If the current results hold, the partisan makeup of the Florida delegation will remain at 20 Republicans and eight Democrats. Republicans secured narrow victories in several competitive races, including Congressional District 7, where Ryan Elijah defeated Bale Dalton by 0.6 percentage points.

In Congressional District 13, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna held her seat against Democrat Leela Gray. Luna led by 0.8 percentage points. In Congressional District 4, U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean defeated Democrat LaShonda Holloway in a race covering Nassau, Clay, and Duval counties. Bean won with 50 percent of the vote compared to Holloway's 48.3 percent.

Other Republican incumbents in Miami-Dade County also held their seats. U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar led Democrat Eliott Rodriguez in Congressional District 27 by 0.54 percentage points. U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart led Democrat Nicole Locklin in Congressional District 26 by 0.82 percentage points. These margins were sufficient to avoid recount thresholds in their respective races.

The election results reflect a mix of voter sentiment regarding national leadership and local representation. Democrats in targeted seats capitalized on concerns over gas and grocery prices. However, Republicans leveraged advantages in voter registration and the structural changes made to the district maps to maintain their overall majority in the state delegation.