In 2013, Kathy Castor went further than any Florida politician has in a half-century by calling for an end to the economic sanctions against Cuba after she returned from a trip there.
Three years later, the Tampa/St. Petersburg congresswoman has quietly but effectively become a leader in the effort to make it a reality, though she acknowledges it won’t happen soon.
In December, Castor and Minnesota Republican Tom Emmer introduced the Cuba Trade Act that would lift the embargo. In February, she led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Cuba, including several members who don’t support her legislation.
Redistricting will take away St. Petersburg from her jurisdiction next year. The Supreme Court’s new map makes Congressional District 14 seat a little more vulnerable to a Republican challenge, but only a little more. The odds are that in the off-year elections a legitimate Republican may challenge her for the
“Rep. Kathy Castor is not the most famous member of Congress, YET! She has been a tireless constituent advocate for our Veterans and servicewomen and men,” DNC Committeeman Alan Clendenin said. “She fights for affordable health care and has been instrumental in securing much-needed funding at our VA and Moffitt, Tampa General and the Children’s Hospitals.”
Castor drops from fifth to 10th in this year’s survey.
***
For a complete explanation of how this list was created and who comprised the panel that assembled it, please read here.
