Janelle Irwin Taylor
Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kimberly Overman will run for Florida’s 15th Congressional District, the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee.
Overman, a Democrat, announced her candidacy on social media, though she is not yet listed as a candidate with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) or Florida’s Division of Elections.
The state lists two other Democrats in the race, Jose Engell and Robert People. People also has an account open with the FEC to raise funds.
Overman most recently served as a Hillsborough County Commissioner until 2022, when she was unseated as part of a red wave that swept Hillsborough County that year, losing to Republican Joshua Wostal by a little more than 5 percentage points.
She has remained largely out of politics since then, until now.
“It’s official. I’m running for Congress in Florida’s 15th District,” Overman wrote on Facebook, linking to a campaign website.
“Our community deserves leadership that listens, leads with compassion, and actually delivers. I’m stepping up because I’ve lived the struggles so many families face-rising costs, lack of access to care, and a government that feels out of touch.”
Overman will attempt what a former colleague on the Commission could not do last election cycle, flip the East Hillsborough/Lakeland-based district blue. Lee defeated Pat Kemp in 2024 with 56% of the vote. In 2022, Lee defeated Democrat Alan Cohn with more than 58% of the vote, succeeding former U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin, also a Republican.
That track record aligns with the district’s conservative bent. Nearly 36% of the electorate is registered to the GOP, less than 32% of voters in the district are Democrats. Nearly 29% of the district’s voting population is nonpartisan.
Overman, and other Democrats in the race, will have to appeal to those unaffiliated voters, as well as soft Republicans, to bridge the GOP voter registration advantage. Overman, based on her announcement, is hoping to tap into worries about pocketbook issues to be competitive.
“As Hillsborough County’s County Commissioner, I fought for affordable housing, better transportation, public health, our active and retired military, and small businesses. I led through crisis, built coalitions, and developed policies that made sure no one was left behind,” she said.
She listed three ways she’s ready to take her advocacy to Washington, including knowing how to juggle bills and still show up for community; delivering real results; and believing in listening, learning and standing with constituents.
“Our country needs that now, more than ever,” Overman wrote.
Her campaign website lists six priority issues: affordable housing and cost of living; health care access; public safety and crime prevention; education and workforce development; veterans and military families; and reproductive rights and personal freedom.
Though Overman lost her re-election battle in 2022, she proved a strong fundraiser, bringing in nearly $234,000 that cycle, well over double what Wostal raised at less than $93,000.
Within an hour of her announcement, dozens of messages of support had already amassed. Most were thanking her for taking on the challenge, and offering their support. But at least one commenter offered some insight.
“I hope you get the data you need. Back in 2018 there were tons of precinct ripe for turning, especially east Hillsborough and up into polk/lake/Marian,” wrote Rebecca Myers, who acknowledged she has now been away from the area for five years and doesn’t “see the data so closely anymore.”
Democrats are hoping to overperform in 2026, with President Donald Trump in office and several unpopular issues, such as tariffs, to run against. But Democrats in 2022 — also a Midterm year, though under then-President Joe Biden — underperformed expectations, including in east Hillsborough County.
