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The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has doubled the number of Florida seats it’s trying to flip, adding Tampa Democrat Kathy Castor and an open South Florida seat to its target list for November.
The political arm of House Republicans now counts Florida’s 14th Congressional District, which Castor represents, among its offensive targets. It also intends to flip the open 22nd Congressional District from blue to red this fall.
That brings the number of Florida seats in the NRCC’s sights from two to four. The party already considered Democratic U.S. Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Darren Soto vulnerable before a new congressional map put both in greater peril.
With new lines crafted by Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ office and approved by the Florida Legislature, Republicans in Washington like their chances in the Sunshine State.
“Florida is ground zero for Republicans to grow our House majority in November,” said NRCC spokesperson Maureen O’Toole. “Floridians are sick of the radical extremism from Kathy Castor and her fellow out of touch Democrats, and voters in these Trump-won districts are ready to elect commonsense Republican leadership.”
Castor, who first won her seat in Congress in 2006, previously represented a district carried by Democrat Kamala Harrisin the 2024 presidential election. But under the new lines, about 55% of voters in CD 14 backed Donald Trump, and just over 44% supported Harris.
Meanwhile, the redrawn map scattered South Florida’s Democratic incumbents, with several landing in newly numbered districts. None chose CD 22, which runs nearly coast to coast from Marco Island in Southwest Florida to Wellington in western Palm Beach County. About 55% of voters in the new district backed Trump in 2024, but Democrat Joe Bidenhad carried the same turf with more than 51% of the vote in 2020.
Seven Republicans and two Democrats qualified for the CD 22 ballot. Two of the Republicans — Naples businessman Casey Askar and Keiser University Vice Chancellor Belinda Keiser — report more cash on hand than leading Democrat Pia Dandiya. Five candidates closed June with more than $1 million in the bank, four of them Republicans.
The primaries are set for Aug. 18, with the General Election to follow Nov. 3. Republicans are counting on Florida to help expand their House majority.
The post NRCC doubles its Florida target list, adding Kathy Castor and an open South Florida seat appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
