Kelly Hayes
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor will join Statehouse candidate Lindsay Cross for a canvassing event in St. Petersburg this Saturday.
At the campaign event in St. Pete’s Old Northeast, the pair will talk with neighbors about electing Democrats in 2022. The two will start the day at 9 a.m. to meet attendees over coffee and snacks. Then, at 10 a.m., participants will start canvassing neighbors.
Event organizers suggest those interested in attending should bring a charged cell phone, weather-appropriate clothing, comfortable walking shoes and something to drink.
Castor is running for re-election to Florida’s 14th Congressional District. She faces a challenger in the Democratic Primary — Christopher Bradley. There are also three Republican candidates — James Judge, Sam Nashagh and Jerry Torres — running for the GOP nomination.
Whoever wins the Republican nomination in CD 14 faces an enormous uphill climb against incumbent Castor, the likely Democratic nominee, as she seeks her ninth term to represent the Tampa district.
Under a new map signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the seat leans heavily Democratic and covers downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg. About 58.8% of voters in the district as newly configured voted for Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election, and just 39.72% favored Republican Donald Trump.
Democratic candidate Lindsay Cross is running to succeed state Rep. Ben Diamond in House District 60.
Cross, who works as an environmental scientist, faces Pinellas businesswoman Audrey Henson, who recently dropped her congressional campaign to instead run for HD 60. In switching her candidacy, Henson brings along what remains in her congressional war chest. Republican Jarib Figueredo faces Henson in the GOP Primary.
The district is analogous to one held now by Rep. Ben Diamond, a St. Petersburg Democrat who also recently exited the CD 13 contest. Diamond has endorsed Cross as his preferred successor.
Despite a potentially hefty war chest from her congressional campaign, Henson may face an uphill battle as a Republican trying to flip the district red. About 54.92% of voters in the newly drawn district voted for President Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election, while just 43.51% supported Trump.
