Kathy Castor
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| Kathy Castor | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Davis |
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| Born | August 20, 1966 Miami, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | William Lewis |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Katherine Anne Castor, usually known as Kathy Castor (born August 20, 1966 in Miami, Florida) is the Democratic congresswoman for Florida's 11th congressional district. This district covers most of the city of Tampa, most of south St. Petersburg, a small portion of unincorporated Hillsborough County, a small section of the city of Temple Terrace and a small section of Manatee County.
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[edit] Education and family
Born in Miami and raised in Tampa, Castor holds a bachelors degree in political science from Emory University (1988) and a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law (1991). She is married to William "Bill" Lewis and they have two daughters.
Castor began her legal career as Assistant General Counsel to the Florida Department of Community Affairs where she enforced growth management laws throughout the state of Florida. She is the former President of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers and partner in a statewide law firm. In 2005, Castor was named as the Tampa Bay Business Journal's Woman of the Year in government.
Castor also is the daughter of former University of South Florida President, former Hillsborough County Commissioner, former Florida Education Commissioner and 2004 United States Senate candidate Betty Castor; and Don Castor, a Hillsborough County judge.
In 2002 she won a seat to the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners, which she held through 2006. On the Commission, Castor was the champion for ethics in government and the award-winning Hillsborough County Health Plan that provides afforadble primary care to hardworking families. She often battled pro-development commissioners over better growth management and fiscally-responsible policies.
[edit] House career
[edit] Election
The House seat in the district became open when five-term Democrat Jim Davis (D) chose to run for governor (he lost to Charlie Crist in November).
Castor won the September 5, 2006 Democratic primary, defeating challengers Al Fox, Lesley "Les" Miller, Scott Farrell, and Michael Steinberg. She received 54% of the vote, a full 20 points ahead of state Senate Minority Leader Les Miller in the five-way race.
Eddie Adams Jr., an architect and former hospital laboratory technologist,[1] was the only Republican to file. Castor was endorsed by the pro-choice political action committee EMILY's List, the League of Conservation Voters, Oceans Champions, The Tampa Tribune, The St. Petersburg Times and The Bradenton Herald.
Castor handily won the 2006 November general election, 70% to 30%--becoming the first woman to represent Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in the United States Congress and only the third representative of this Tampa-based district since its creation in 1963 (it was the 10th District from 1963-67, the 6th from 1967-73, the 7th from 1973-93 and has been the 11th since 1993). However, it was generally believed that she'd already assured herself of victory by winning the primary. The 11th is by far the most Democratic district on Florida's Gulf Coast, and Republicans have not seriously contested it in decades.
[edit] In Congress
Castor was the first freshman in the 110th Congress to speak on the floor of the House of Representatives in January 2007 where she championed the new House ethics package.
[edit] Committee Assignments
- Committee on Rules
- Rules& Organization of the House Subcommittee
- Armed Services Committee
- Air and Land Forces Subcommittee
- Terrorism and Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee
- Steering and Policy Committee
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Representative Kathy Castor official U.S. House website
- Castor for Congress official campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
- Delta Delta Delta Distinguished Alumnae Profile
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Jim Davis |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 11th congressional district 2007-Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Castor, Kathy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1966-08-20 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Miami, Florida |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
