2026 Florida (FL-14) US House Voters Guide

Mike Beltran (R) vs Kathy Castor (D)

House of Representatives | Election | Nov 3, 2026

The Candidates

Mike Beltran

Mike Beltran

Republican

Kathy Castor

Kathy Castor

Democrat

Incumbent

The Issues

Abortion

Ban or legal?

Mike Beltran (R)

Ban. “I would give my life to end abortion and protect the unborn.” Supports the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Florida’s six-week abortion ban does not “go far enough.” In the FL House, introduced a bill to ban abortions “except to save the life of a pregnant woman.” “Abortion is not healthcare.”

Kathy Castor (D)

Legal. Opposed overturning Roe v. Wade: “This decision is downright dangerous.” Opposes Florida’s six-week abortion ban. Sponsored a bill to prohibit state restrictions on abortion access. Sponsored a bill to protect interstate travel for abortion access.

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Climate Change

Should climate change be a top priority?

Mike Beltran (R)

No. Voted to ban offshore wind power, remove all references to “climate change” in the state’s energy policy, and eliminate climate-friendly purchasing by state agencies. Said there’s “not a consensus” that atmospheric carbon is causing climate change: “Some experts say it’s just part of a small ice age that we’re coming out of.” “I’m all for clean energy,” but no “government subsidies.”

Kathy Castor (D)

Yes. Sponsored a resolution “expressing strong disapproval” of Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, a pact to fight climate change: “Climate change is causing economic instability.” Opposes offshore oil drilling. Voted against ending Biden-era clean energy tax credits. Voted to fund $369 billion in clean energy. Introduced a bill to expand community solar programs.

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Criminal Justice

How to ensure effectiveness and fairness in law enforcement?

Mike Beltran (R)

“Will oppose any effort to defund, undermine, or politicize” law enforcement. Opposed reducing the number of jurors required to impose a death sentence and called for a unanimous vote to impose capital punishment. Sponsored a bill to make trafficking corporate trade secrets a felony.

Kathy Castor (D)

Voted to empower police departments to adopt de-escalation training. Opposed defund-the-police efforts. Voted to expand funds to prevent & treat  Native American child abuse. In 2021 sponsored a bill to ban no-knock warrants, ban racial profiling, require body cameras, & limit qualified immunity.

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Economy

Cut or increase government investment in, and regulation of, the economy?

Mike Beltran (R)

Mostly cut. “I’m not a fan of government intervening in the economy.” Voted against encouraging developers to build more affordable housing. To address the cost of living supports reducing “government subsidies and regulation.” Opposes “expansions of entitlement programs.” Would invest in “inadequate” road infrastructure.

Kathy Castor (D)

Increase. Voted to increase the supply of affordable housing and prevent large institutional investors from buying single-family homes: “Homes are for people, not for hedge fund managers.” Voted against loosening regulation of the crypto industry. Voted against loosening bank regulations.

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Education

Use public funding for private and/or for-profit schools?

Mike Beltran (R)

Yes. Supports a taxpayer-funded voucher program that enables parents, regardless of income, to send their children to private schools. Said he supports “school choice” and will “bring that fight to Washington.”

Kathy Castor (D)

No. Sponsored a resolution calling for federal investment in public schools and opposing public vouchers for private K-12 schools. Voted against a bill that includes using tax credits to fund private school scholarships.

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Environment

Loosen or tighten environmental regulations?

Mike Beltran (R)

Likely loosen. Voted to make agriculture industry members the only eligible candidates for soil and water conservation boards.

Kathy Castor (D)

Tighten. Introduced five bills “aimed at closing loopholes that allow the oil and gas industry to skirt key environmental and public health protections.” Voted against allowing mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Voted to keep an expansion of the streams and wetlands protected by the Clean Water Act.

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Gun Laws

Loosen or tighten gun laws?

Mike Beltran (R)

Loosen. “No red flag laws, no magazine bans, no compromise. The Second Amendment is absolute.” Sponsored an amendment to allow open carry in Florida. Voted to allow permitless carry in Florida. Would support “open carry, constitutional carry, campus carry, and church carry.” “I would allow no more regulation.”

Kathy Castor (D)

Tighten. Opposes permitless carry laws in Florida. Supports “common sense” gun laws: “You don’t want guns to fall in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.” Voted against allowing concealed carry across state lines. Voted to expand background checks and encourage states to pass red flag laws: “More is needed.”

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Health Care

Increase or decrease government support for health care?

Mike Beltran (R)

Mostly decrease. Supports cutting “healthcare bureaucracies” & expanding “telehealth access.” Says Planned Parenthood “should be permanently defunded.” Opposes government regulation of “medical care.” Voted against efforts to enhance the FL healthcare workforce. In 2019 voted for a program to import cheaper prescription drugs.

Kathy Castor (D)

Increase. Voted against a bill that included cutting Medicaid cuts. Called Medicaid and Medicare “lifesaving initiatives.” “We do not believe that you should be bankrupt if you get a diagnosis.” Voted to extend Affordable Care Act premium subsidies; introduced an amendment to make the subsidies permanent.

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Immigration

How to handle immigration?

Mike Beltran (R)

Would “deport every last illegal.” Supports construction of a border wall. Would allow in “only persons who are…willing and able to…abide by the law and contribute to the economy.” Wants a constitutional amendment to end birthright citizenship. Voted to expand bans on sanctuary cities.

Kathy Castor (D)

Voted against increasing ICE funding by $75 billion. “ICE needs to be reined in NOW.” Opposes ending temporary protection status for 350,000 Haitians. Voted against restarting building of the border wall and limiting asylum. “America needs real pathways to citizenship for people willing to work hard, pay taxes, and play by the rules.”

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Iran

Support the war in Iran?

Mike Beltran (R)

Likely yes. Supports Israel “getting the ball rolling bombing Iran” with the U.S. Wants “situation in Iran [be resolved] as quickly as possible.” Opposes “boots on the ground.” “We need to either find a diplomatic solution or eliminate [Iran’s] ability to menace shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Kathy Castor (D)

No. Said the war “needs to come to an end.” Voted in March, April, May, June, July, and September to require Congressional authorization for U.S. military action in Iran. “This resolution is about reining in a reckless escalation.” Opposes “a blank check for an open-ended war.”

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Labor

Make it easier or harder for unions to organize?

Mike Beltran (R)

Harder. Voted for a bill requiring public employee unions to have 60 percent membership to retain certification & banning dues paid through payroll deductions. Voted for a subsequent bill requiring public employee union members to sign a government form to be counted as members.

Kathy Castor (D)

Easier. “America is built and runs on unions.” Supported an airport security workers union facing replacement by a private company. Sponsored a bill to protect employees’ organizing & collective bargaining rights. Sponsored a bill to restore collective bargaining to federal workers.

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LGBTQ Rights

Limit or expand LGBTQ rights?

Mike Beltran (R)

Limit. Supports the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. Opposes transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. Opposes “DEI programs.”

Kathy Castor (D)

Expand. “We need to protect our LGBTQ+ neighbors’ civil rights.” Voted to put same sex marriage into federal law. Sponsored a ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

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Minimum Wage

Raise the federal minimum from $7.25 per hour?

Mike Beltran (R)

Unclear. “I can live with a $15 minimum wage” instituted in Florida.

Kathy Castor (D)

Yes. Voted in 2019 to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. Said doing so “would help strengthen America’s middle class.”

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Taxes

Raise or lower taxes on corporations and wealthier individuals?

Mike Beltran (R)

Lower. Supports extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which included the largest one-time cut in the corporate tax rate and tax breaks for the wealthy. Opposes higher taxes for high-income earners to pay for programs for working families.

Kathy Castor (D)

Raise. Voted against extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which included the largest one-time cut in the corporate tax rate and tax breaks for the wealthy. Called those cuts a “billionaire tax giveaway” and “morally wrong.”

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Voting Rules

Make voting harder or easier?

Mike Beltran (R)

Harder. Supports a bill requiring anyone registering to vote in a federal election to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and a photo ID to cast a ballot: “We need to pass the SAVE America Act.” Would “mandate photo ID.”

Kathy Castor (D)

Easier. Twice voted against requiring anyone registering to vote in a federal election to provide proof of U.S. citizenship: “The ‘SAVE Act’ is an extreme attempt to suppress voting.” Sponsored a bill to require certain states to get federal preapproval for changes in voting practices.

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guides.vote is a nonpartisan effort to show where candidates stand. We do not support or oppose any political party or candidate. We include candidates polling 15% or more. Check out others including Salomon Hernandez (NP, write-in), Brian Lambert (L), and Keith Varian (NP, write-in). Vote411.org offers guides to local races and how to vote. For campuses, see Campus Vote Project’s state-specific guides to student voting rules.