Three Cabinet officers back Steele as crowded CD 14 primary heats up.
Kevin Steele now has the backing of all three of Florida’s elected Cabinet officers in his campaign to unseat Kathy Castor, a show of establishment muscle in what is becoming a competitive Republican Primary for the redrawn CD 14. Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson have all endorsed the Pasco County state Rep. — Simpson at Steele’s launch last month, with Uthmeier and Ingoglia now joining to complete the sweep.
The endorsements land in one of the cycle’s marquee pickup targets. Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ new map took Castor’s reliably Democratic Tampa seat — one Kamala Harris carried by about 7 points in 2024 — and reshaped it into a district Donald Trump would have won by roughly 10. Castor, in Congress for two decades, has said she’ll defend the redrawn, Hillsborough-based seat anyway.
Steele’s Cabinet haul is as much about the Primary as the General. He entered the race last month and went on offense fast, lending his campaign $2.5 million — he had already sunk $5 million into a short-lived CFO bid — and launching a TV ad titled “Forged.” He is not alone in a crowded field. Former Hillsborough state Rep. Mike Beltran jumped in the same week, pledging at least $1 million of his own money and carrying his own roster of legislator endorsements; former White House staffer Bea Valenti, once a domestic policy adviser to Sen. Ashley Moody, is running; as are attorney Dan Weldon and 2024 nominee Rocky Rochford, among others.
The Cabinet officers leaned into Steele’s conservative profile. Ingoglia called him “an America First Fighter,” and Simpson said Steele was “forged in Tampa, comes from humble roots, and is exactly the kind of MAGA conservative Florida needs.” The trio adds to earlier support from Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister and Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, reinforcing the law-enforcement theme Uthmeier stressed in praising Steele’s record on prosecuting violent criminals and protecting parental rights.
Steele called the support humbling. “Together we’re going to retire Kathy Castor, put an end to the political games she’s played for twenty years, and give the families of Tampa Bay a Congressman who answers to them, not the swamp,” he said. The Aug. 18 Primary winner will face Castor in November.
— Ed. note: This story was drafted with assistance from AI. Editorial judgment, sourcing, and final review were performed by Peter Schorsch and the Florida Politics editorial team.