Sheriff Grady Judd’s nod hands Kevin Steele another edge in crowded CD 14 GOP Primary

Polk Sheriff Grady Judd endorsed Kevin Steele, adding one of Florida’s most recognizable law enforcement names to the Tampa technology executive’s growing pile of establishment support in the Republican Primary to take on Kathy Castor in CD 14.

“I took an oath to the Constitution, not to politicians. Kevin Steele understands that document isn’t up for negotiation — not the First Amendment, not the Second, not any of it. He’ll fight for it in Washington the way we defend it here at home. Kevin is a man of faith and family, with a backbone as strong as his last name. He has earned my endorsement,” Judd said.

Steele called Judd “a conservative icon” whose “stamp of approval is the gold standard in Florida,” adding that he was “humbled by his kind words and support.”

Judd joins Hillsborough’s Chad Chronister and Pasco’s Chris Nocco, who endorsed Steele earlier in the race, giving the candidate a sweep of the region’s most prominent Sheriffs as he runs on a platform built around public safety, border security, and support for law enforcement.

The Sheriffs are the latest addition to an endorsement list meant to clear a field rather than just win one. Attorney General James Uthmeier, CFO Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson lined up behind Steele in a joint show of Cabinet support, and Speaker-designate Sam Garrison and other future Speakers in the House leadership pipeline followed.

Money has matched the muscle. Steele lent his campaign $2.5 million and went up early with a TV ad titled “Forged,” leaning on the pun built into his last name. The spending follows the $5 million he sank into a short-lived bid for CFO earlier this year before redirecting to the congressional race.

He isn’t running unopposed, and the field is real. Former Hillsborough Representative Mike Beltran jumped in the same week Steele did, carrying his own roster of legislator endorsements, including Jeff Brandes, Wyman Duggan, Fiona McFarland, and Tyler Sirois. Beltran, who served three terms in the House before stepping back to grow his law practice, has built his pitch on a hard-edged conservative record and his standing as one of seven House Republicans who never endorsed Ron DeSantis for President in 2024.

Former White House staffer Bea Valenti, once a domestic policy adviser to Ashley Moody, is also running, with the backing of retiring U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn and VIEW PAC, which supports conservative women. 2024 GOP nominee Rocky Rochford rounds out the contenders.

The prize is a seat Republicans believe they’ve already half-flipped. The redistricting map drawn by DeSantis’ office shifted CD 14 from a district Kamala Harris carried by more than 7% in 2024 to one Donald Trump would have won by roughly 10, redrawing Castor’s Tampa-anchored territory to fold in more conservative reaches of south and east Hillsborough — Sun City Center, Plant City, Brandon. The map is being challenged in court as unconstitutional under Florida law, and Castor, who first won the seat in 2006, has called the redraw a blatant power grab while pledging to run again regardless of the lines.

The winner of the Aug. 18 Primary advances to face Castor in November.

— Ed. note: This story was drafted with assistance from AI. Editorial judgment, sourcing, and final review were performed by Peter Schorsch and the Florida Politics editorial team.