Kathy Castor

Kathy Castor is a Democratic politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 14th congressional district. Born on August 20, 1966, in Miami and raised in Tampa, she is the daughter of former Florida state senator and University of South Florida president Betty Castor. She graduated from Emory University with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1988 and earned her Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law in 1991. Before entering public office, she practiced environmental and administrative law and served as an assistant general counsel for the Florida Department of Community Affairs. Castor began her elective career on the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, serving from 2002 to 2006. In 2006, she was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, succeeding Jim Davis, and became the first woman to represent both Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties in Congress. During her tenure, she has been a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and notably served as the Chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis from 2019 to 2023. Her legislative work frequently focuses on environmental protection, public health, and consumer rights.

Kathy Castor's policy platform emphasizes climate action and healthcare access. As former chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, she has advocated for a transition to clean energy and reaching net-zero emissions. She is a strong supporter of the Affordable Care Act, frequently voting against its repeal and pushing for Medicaid expansion and lower prescription drug costs. On economic issues, Castor supports raising the federal minimum wage, middle-class tax relief, and infrastructure investment to create jobs. Her voting record reflects support for reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and gun control measures such as universal background checks. In foreign policy, she has been a lead advocate for normalizing relations with Cuba and reasserting congressional authority over military force authorizations. She also supports comprehensive immigration reform and legal protections for DACA recipients.