State Representative — District 64

An open state House seat, held by a lawmaker who was elected as a Democrat and later became a Republican, is up for grabs. Republican Dan Weldon faces Democrat Luis Salazar. Representative Susan Valdés is term-limited. Democrats lead in voter registration, roughly 27,000 to 23,600. No public poll was found. Weldon is a Tampa attorney, a former prosecutor and a former University of Florida football player. He describes himself as a conservative activist, won his primary with 66 percent, and is on the Hillsborough Republican Party's slate. Salazar is a Navy veteran. He won a three-way Democratic primary with about 45 percent, ahead of former Tampa City Council member Mike Suarez. He is running on affordability, public education and working families. He is endorsed by the Florida AFL-CIO, the Florida Education Association, Equality Florida and Florida Rising. In that primary, the business group Associated Industries of Florida backed Suarez. In state filings through October 16, Weldon's campaign had raised about 141 thousand dollars, plus about 53 thousand in his political committee. Salazar's campaign had raised about 105 thousand. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's editors back Salazar. No Tampa Bay Times pick was found in this race. Research as of October 23, 2026. Sources and the full picture are on this page.