There were few surprises in the races for Congress in the greater Tampa Bay area Tuesday as most of the favorites ended up winning their races.
Several incumbents coasted to victories. Those include Republicans Vern Buchanan of Sarasota and Gus Bilirakis — who represents Pasco and northern Pinellas counties — and Democrat Kathy Castor in her redrawn Tampa district.
The two hotly contested races were for House District 15, which includes parts of Hillsborough, Polk and Pasco counties; and District 13, which was redrawn to exclude blue-heavy St. Petersburg and include more red districts in southern Pinellas.
In District 15, former Secretary of State Laurel Lee outlasted state Representatives Kelly Stargel of Lakeland and Jackie Toledo of Tampa. Lee will face off in November against Democrat Alan Cohn, who narrowly beat four other candidates.
In District 13, Anna Paulina Luna — who was endorsed by former
President Trump — outlasted Kevin Kayslett and Republican strategist Amanda Makki.
Luna lost to Charlie Crist in the last election. But with Crist gone to seek the governorship, she'll face Democrat Eric Lynn, a former national security advisor to President Obama.
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