Mike Beltran, the former Florida House Representative and Republican nominee for Florida’s 14th Congressional District, affirmed that he will end the ongoing affordability crisis upon entering office, taking jabs at his opponent, Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), for her role in it.
In an interview with Bay News 9’s “Political Connections”, Beltran addressed several issues, including the former Biden administration’s contribution to the economy, abortion, immigration, as well as the district’s newly drawn map.
When Florida families were struggling to put dinner on the table and keep the lights on because of inflation and excessive government spending, I voted to balance the budget. I have a record of opposing excessive spending and have never voted for an unbalanced budget, unlike my opponent, @KathyCastorFL.
As your Congressman, I will fight to undo the Biden inflation and end the affordability crisis to ensure Florida families no longer have to worry about paying for basic necessities.
Watch my full interview on Spectrum News @BN9 below⬇️
https://t.co/0ca0IHTVbF
— Mike Beltran (@MBeltranFL) October 12, 2026
Beltran Calls Out Rep. Castor For Her Role
“My entire political career in Tallahassee, [I’ve] never voted for an unbalanced budget. My opponent in 20 years in Washington has never voted for a balanced budget,” Beltran said. “That’s the message that we’re bringing to the voters here in Hillsborough County.”
“We’re concerned about affordability and other issues; All of those affordability problems are caused by reckless spending in Washington that my opponent and people in her party have also been a part of,” Beltran added.
Is President Trump Making it Harder For Republicans?
During the segment, interviewer Holly Gregory asked Beltran whether President Donald Trump is making it harder for Republicans to convince voters given his contributions to the affordability crisis through actions like the conflict in Iran or the reciprocal tariffs.
Beltran responded, acknowledging the Republican stronghold in Washington and the deficit spending at that time, but affirming that he’s willing to break from his party to ensure the issues at hand are addressed properly.
“I will work with whoever will work with me to rein in inflation, rein in the deficit, but I will also vote against wasteful spending from wherever it originates,” Beltran said, citing his previous voting record in Tallahassee.
Immigration Reform
Regarding immigration, Beltran told Gregory that he does not believe President Trump’s immigration enforcement policy has gone too far.
“Do we need immigration reform? Yes. Can we do more H1-B visas? Yes. Can we do more guest worker programs? Yes. But we need to have a secure border because having people pour across the border during every Democrat administration really limits what we can do for legal immigration,” Beltran said.
