Jacob Ogles
Whether policy conversations involve election security, child welfare or artificial intelligence, U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee is often in the room.
In less than three years on the hill, the Thonotosassa Republican established herself as a strong voice on a range of often complex topics, earning broad respect from colleagues along the way. She also boasts recognition with our jury, who lifted her in our rankings of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians ahead of some of the region’s longest-serving federal leaders.
“Laurel Lee is likely to continue climbing this list. She’s no longer a freshman in Washington — she is a powerhouse wielding her knowledge and experience to make her voice rise above hundreds of other members. She sits on impactful committees and has been a notable influence on the Judiciary Committee,” said Natalie Brown, Director of Government and Community Affairs at RSA Consulting.
The former Florida Secretary of State and Circuit Court Judge brought some of the broadest public service credentials to Florida’s congressional delegation after her election in 2022. That may have helped her secure a landslide re-election over Democrat Pat Kemp, a well-known Hillsborough County Commissioner when she challenged the incumbent in 2024.
Perhaps that’s why, despite Lee representing one of the most closely divided Florida congressional districts by voting behavior, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee skipped over Lee’s district when announcing it would target three other Republican U.S. House incumbents in Florida.
Lee, during her short time in Congress, has quickly attracted support from Republicans on the Hill. She chairs the House Administration Elections Subcommittee and serves as Vice Chair of the full House Administration Committee.
“Congresswoman Lee brings invaluable experience and knowledge to the Committee,” said Rep. Bryan Steil, a Wisconsin Republican who chairs the House Administration Committee. “We are eager for her to continue her excellent work for the American people.”
In her sophomore legislative term, Lee already spearheaded several legislative initiatives, including efforts to crack down on cell phone smuggling and provide rehabilitated felons with greater access to employment after serving their time. She has pushed for broadband access, and she convened secretaries of state from across the nation for a retrospective look at the security of last year’s presidential election.
“Rep. Laurel Lee brings a wide variety of valuable experience to her job as the U.S. House Representative for District 15,” said John Velebir, Chair of the Polk County Republican Executive Committee.
“Coming from a military family, she is focused on the needs of vets and her time as both a prosecutor and judge allows her to bring real-world perspective to her Judiciary committee appointment. Rep. Lee is Trump endorsed and will no doubt play an important role in implementing the America First agenda.”
She also leaned into some Florida-specific issues, including demanding changes in federal regulations around Florida citrus, an industry well represented in her inland district and which suffered heavy blows from hurricanes in recent years.
The greatest demonstration of Lee’s strength and influence, though, may have come last year as she tossed off the threat of a Primary challenge after the leader of her political party called for her ouster. Now-President Donald Trump issued a call on Truth Social for someone from the MAGA wing to take on Lee after she stood alone as the only Florida member of Congress to endorse Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primaries.
But no serious threat materialized. A series of fringe candidates with few ties to the district failed to gain any traction, as more prominent rumored figures like Maureen Bannon and Rogan O’Handley backed down and failed to file. Within a few months of Trump’s widely noted Truth Social post, Lee met personally with the GOP nominee and convinced the former and future President to endorse her re-election campaign.
No one knows what the future holds, and Lee remains in a district with numbers that always keep the attention of House Democrats. But performance so far shows her a popular figure across a broad range of voters in Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties.
“Laurel Lee is a leader’s leader — a battle-tested conservative, and a brilliant problem-solver. It’s no wonder she’s trusted with powerful roles in the Congress,” The Southern Group’s Seth McKeel said.
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A special thanks to RSA Consulting Group, the sponsor of this year’s rankings.
As for methodology, we define the Tampa Bay region as Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco, but we can also include Hernando, Polk or Sarasota if the politicians from those counties impact either Pinellas or Hillsborough.
We define a politician as being in office or running for office.
Being first on a panelist’s list earns the politician 25 points, second earns them 24 points, and so on, to where being listed 25th earns a politician one point. Points are added and, voilà, we have a list.
We also want to thank our experienced and knowledgeable panelists, who were essential to developing the 2025 list: Vinik Family Office Chief of Staff Christina Barker; Mercury Public Affairs Managing Director Ashley Bauman; Matt Blair of Corcoran Partners; Reggie Cardozo of The Public Square; Stephanie Cardozo of The Southern Group; Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick managing partner Ron Christaldi; former state Sen. Janet Cruz; political consultant/strategist Barry Edwards; Vicidial Group President Matt Florell; Sunrise Consulting Group President Shawn Foster; businessman Michael Griffin; Clay Hollis of Tucker/Hall; Natalie King of RSA Consulting Group; Moffitt Cancer Center VP of Public Affairs and Communications Merritt Martin; former state Rep. Seth McKeel of The Southern Group; political consultant Chris Mitchell; Mike Moore of The Southern Group; RSA President and CEO Ron Pierce; Tucker/Hall CEO Darren Richards; political consultant Jim Rimes; political consultant Preston Rudie of Catalyst Communications Group; TECO VP of State and Regional Affairs Stephanie Smith; lobbyist Alan Suskey of Shumaker Advisors; Doyle Walsh, Chief of Staff for St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch; Michelle and Peter Schorsch, publishers of Florida Politics.
