Hillsborough Democrat Pat Kemp to challenge Laurel Lee for Congress

Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Kemp says she will announce at a Democratic Party fundraiser Saturday night that she plans to run for the Congressional District 15 seat held by Republican Laurel Lee.

Kemp said she was heavily recruited for the run by national and state-level Democratic organizations and considers the seat winnable.

The district “leans Republican, but only slightly,” she said. “It’s a possible win, depending all on turnout. Seeing the House as it is, it’s important for us to look at every possible seat,” she said, referring to the current narrow GOP majority.

She said the current sparring over the Republican primary, with Donald Trump calling for a Republican opponent to run in a primary against Lee, is part of her motivation to run.

“That does play into everyone’s interest in looking at this as a winnable seat,” she said.

The district is about 37 percent Republican and 32 percent Democratic in voter registration. It covers parts of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, with more than half of its voters in northeastern Hillsborough.

Lee reported a campaign fund with $438,218 in cash as of the end of 2023. In addition, her husband, former state Sen. Tom Lee, still has a substantial fund of political campaign money that could be used on his wife’s behalf.

But Kemp said she has consulted donors and fundraisers, “and we feel we have the opportunity to compete financially. I wouldn’t undertake this otherwise.”

Kemp is term-limited after two terms in her countywide commissioner seat. She’s a former Hillsborough County Democratic Party chair who started in politics as an aide to local Democratic elected officials, including U.S. Rep Kathy Castor when she served on the Hillsborough County Commission.