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State House, District 65

State Legislature

Listen: this contest in 1:32

Research as of Nov. 1, 2026

Read by a synthetic voice from this page’s research. A summary, not a recommendation.

Read the transcript

In State House District 65, a two-term Republican faces a young Democratic challenger. Republican Karen Gonzalez Pittman, the incumbent, faces Democrat Ben Braver. Gonzalez Pittman won the seat in 2022 and was reelected in 2024 with about 57 percent. She sponsored a 2025 law on substance abuse and mental health care. She is endorsed by labor groups, including the Florida AFL-CIO and the Florida Education Association, and by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Right to Life and the NRA. Braver is a former Hillsborough County teacher. He focuses on education, including higher teacher pay and smaller classes, and argues that monopolies and private equity drive up housing, insurance and energy costs. He is endorsed by Florida NOW PAC and Emgage Action. Lakeland police arrested Braver after he disrupted a speech by Vice President JD Vance, on misdemeanor charges of trespassing and resisting arrest without violence. Braver said he did not intend to resist, cited the First Amendment and said he had no regrets. No public poll was found. In state filings through October 29, Gonzalez Pittman had raised about 226 thousand dollars, Braver about 17 thousand. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's editors back Braver. The Tampa Bay Times made no picks in state House races. Research as of November 1, 2026. Sources and the full picture are on this page.

This contest is on some Hillsborough County ballots, not on the example ballot this site is built around. Find my ballot shows whether it’s on yours, or check your county’s sample ballot or the official precinct finder.Check your county’s sample ballot or the official precinct finder to see whether it’s on yours.

FactOfficial sample ballot wording

State Representative, District 65 · Vote for one

  • Karen Gonzalez PittmanRepublican Party
  • Ben BraverDemocratic Party
Lead recommendationEditorialCreative Loafing Tampa Bay, Oct. 22, 2026

Creative Loafing’s pick

Ben Braver

Why

Creative Loafing listed this pick in its guide without a write-up. Its reporting on the race is below.

Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: How to vote in Tampa Bay, and who we're voting for

From the record our summary of sourced facts, not Creative Loafing’s words

  • A former Hillsborough teacher, he wants teacher and support-staff pay raised to the national average, more school psychologists and smaller classes. (Ballotpedia)
  • He blames private equity and corporate consolidation for rising housing, insurance and energy costs. (Ballotpedia)
  • His opponent, Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, voted for Amendment 3 and the mid-decade congressional map. (Florida House)
Creative Loafing’s reporting on this race (1)

Why this leads: The site owner's choice (Oct. 24): the recommendation that best matches the owner's values, shown first on every contest. Still an editorial: one outlet's opinion, not this site's.

Where it stands

Fact

Gonzalez Pittman, the Republican incumbent, won the open seat 53.6% to 46.4% in 2022 and was reelected 57.2% to 42.8% in 2024. Fox 13 reports the district, which runs from Westchase to South Tampa, voted for President Trump by more than 10 points in 2024. No public poll of this race was found. Through Oct. 29, 2026, DOS filings show about $225,500 in monetary contributions for Gonzalez Pittman and about $17,100 for Braver.13,11,3,2

  • 2024: Karen Gonzalez Pittman (R) 57.2% (53,824) vs Ashley Brundage (D) 42.8% (40,198)13
  • 2022: Karen Gonzalez Pittman (R) 53.6% (39,045) vs Jen McDonald (D) 46.4% (33,766); open seat13

No polls found in the research.

Research as of Oct 23, 2026.

The money gap

Fact

13×Karen Gonzalez Pittman has raised 13 times as much as Ben Braver.

  • Karen Gonzalez PittmanRepublican · incumbent

    $225,545as of Oct 29, 2026

  • Ben BraverDemocrat

    $17,119as of Oct 29, 2026

Monetary contributions reported to election officials. In-kind contributions and loans are left out here and listed under each candidate below.

Candidates and money

Fact

Karen Gonzalez PittmanRepublican · incumbent

Karen Gonzalez Pittman is the Republican incumbent, first elected to the Florida House in 2022 and reelected in 2024. The Florida House lists her occupation as business owner and educator. Ballotpedia says she worked as vice president of public affairs for Vein Treatment Centers and Health Performance Specialists and holds bachelor's and master's degrees in education from the University of South Florida.4,1,7,15,13

  • She filed for re-election on Jan. 2, 2025, and qualified by paying the qualifying fee on June 11, 2026, per DOS.6
  • Her current Florida House committee assignments include vice chair of the Health Care Budget Subcommittee and seats on State Affairs, Insurance & Banking, Human Services, Information Technology Budget & Policy, and the Select Committee on Property Taxes.7
  • Ballotpedia lists past roles on the Florida Medical Association PAC board and as president of the Hillsborough County Medical Association Alliance.15
  • In the 2026 regular session she was first-named sponsor of CS/HB 249 (Designation of Official State Flagship), which became law as Chapter 2026-27.9
  • Her 2026 stormwater treatment bill, CS/CS/HB 1457, was laid on the table after its Senate companion, CS/CS/SB 848, passed (Chapter 2026-60).9
  • Her 2026 bills on public school personnel compensation (HB 1187), neurofibromatosis research grants (CS/HB 497) and refrigerant safety (CS/HB 999) died in committee.9
  • In 2026 she co-sponsored CS/CS/HB 277 on domestic violence and protective injunctions (Chapter 2026-86) and CS/CS/HB 1019 on PFAS substances (Chapter 2026-158), both enacted.9
  • In the 2025 regular session she was first-named sponsor of CS/CS/HB 1091 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Care), which became law as Chapter 2025-143.8
  • Her 2025 bills on K-12 instructional personnel salary compression (CS/HB 439), step-therapy protocols (HB 721) and food additives (HB 641) died in committee.8

Raised $225,545, spent $191,643 (DOS campaign treasurer's reports, all-dates totals through the period ending Oct. 29, 2026 (G6), as of Oct 29, 2026)Raised is monetary contributions since the account opened Jan. 2, 2025. DOS also lists $71,369.43 in in-kind contributions, $2,102.09 in other distributions and no loans. The DOS summary does not show cash on hand. The most recent period (Oct. 3-16) shows $107,678.55 in expenditures. TransparencyUSA showed older, lower totals ($127,942.76 raised, $59,864.56 spent) when checked.3,14

Ben BraverDemocrat

Ben Braver is the Democratic nominee. Ballotpedia and his campaign site describe him as a former Hillsborough County teacher who interned for U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor and worked on state policy for the Young Democrats of America. Fox 13 describes him as a University of South Florida student, and The Ledger gives his age as 24.4,1,12,19,11,10

  • He filed on March 17, 2026, and qualified by paying the qualifying fee on June 11, 2026, per DOS.5
  • He ran for State Senate District 23 in 2024 and lost to incumbent Daniel Burgess (R), receiving 37.7% of the vote, per Ballotpedia.12
  • Another Democrat, Kellas Ross Cameron, withdrew from the 2026 Democratic primary, leaving Braver unopposed for the nomination.14,4
  • In Ballotpedia's candidate survey he names education as his main focus, including raising teacher and support-staff pay to the national average, hiring school psychologists, reducing class sizes and relying less on testing.12
  • He argues that monopolies and private equity are driving up housing, insurance and energy costs, and proposes enlarging the Florida House so districts are smaller.12
  • His campaign site lists universal pre-K, free public college, universal health care, curbs on investor purchases of homes and a ban on AI data centers among his priorities.19
  • Lakeland police arrested him after he disrupted Vice President JD Vance's speech at a Republican rally and charged him with trespassing and resisting arrest without violence, both first-degree misdemeanors, The Ledger reported on Oct. 2, 2026.10
  • Fox 13 reported he was released on a $2,000 bond; the police report says he physically resisted being escorted out, while Braver told Fox 13 he did not intend to resist, cited the First Amendment and said he had no regrets.11

Raised $17,119, spent $6,937 (DOS campaign treasurer's reports, all-dates totals through the period ending Oct. 29, 2026 (G6), as of Oct 29, 2026)Raised is monetary contributions since the account opened March 17, 2026. DOS lists no loans or in-kind contributions and $923.36 in other distributions; waivers (no activity) were filed for the July 18-31 periods. The DOS summary does not show cash on hand. TransparencyUSA showed older, lower totals ($4,610 raised, $3,094.50 spent) when checked.2,14

Not found in the research

  • Tampa Bay Times: the Times' Nov. 3 recommendations list (https://www.tampabay.com/viewpoints/2026/09/27/candidate-ballot-measure-recommendations-november-3-election/, updated Oct. 20 and described as complete) includes no Florida House races, so there is no Times pick for HD 65.
  • Creative Loafing Tampa: no 2026 recommendation for HD 65 found; the only listing found was a 2024 endorsement of Ashley Brundage.
  • Polls: searched for public polling of HD 65; none found.
  • Cash on hand: the DOS summary pages give contributions and expenditures but not a cash balance; not computed here.
  • Braver's Lakeland case: no court record was opened and no report of a plea, dismissal or trial was found; the charges are pending as far as the sources show.
  • Gonzalez Pittman response: Fox 13 reported she did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Braver arrest.
  • Gonzalez Pittman campaign website: karengonzalezpittman.com redirected to an unrelated site when checked, so no self-described platform was available.
  • Progressive endorsers searched with no HD 65 endorsement found for either candidate: Equality Florida Action PAC (its page still shows Ashley Brundage from 2024), Planned Parenthood (Florida PAC's Oct. 12, 2026 House slate omits HD 65), Moms Demand Action/Everytown Gun Sense, Sierra Club (Florida and Suncoast pages), Florida Conservation Voters, Florida Democratic Party and Hillsborough Democrats.
  • Right-leaning endorsers searched with no HD 65 endorsement found: Florida Police Benevolent Association / FOP, Americans for Prosperity Action Florida, Florida Farm Bureau, Florida Carry.
  • Florida Nurses Association: its July 17, 2026 list of 19 House endorsements could not be opened (HTTP 403); the visible portion did not include HD 65.
  • UAW and Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida endorsements are known only from Sway; no original pages were found.
  • Braver is also listed on several user-run Sway voting groups (e.g., YALLvote, Hope and Change, Florida Environmental Voting Guide) and his own 'Elect Ben Braver' group; these are not organizations' own statements and are not recorded as endorsements.
  • DOS contribution-detail search timed out twice, so individual contributors were not reviewed against the official database.

Tampa Bay Times

EditorialMoney map

Not found in the research.

EditorialAs recorded in each guide

Endorsements, both lenses

Neither lens is this site's voice

Progressive lens

Lens
Karen Gonzalez PittmanREPIncumbent4 support · 0 oppose

SupportEndorsement

Labor
Ben BraverDEM3 support · 0 oppose

SupportEndorsement

Environment & climate
Progressive & community organizing
  • Florida NOW PAC · Women's rights organization; 2026 endorsed-candidate page lists Braver for HD 65. Page modified Oct. 20, 2026.Direct
Civil rights & civil liberties
  • Emgage Action · Muslim American civic and political group; lists Braver under State House District 65. The page shows no cycle date beyond its 2026 footer.Direct

Searched, nothing found

Not found in the research.

Right-leaning lens

Lens
Karen Gonzalez PittmanREPIncumbent8 support · 0 oppose

SupportEndorsement

Republican Party & officials
Business & industry
Gun rights
Anti-abortion & religious conservative
Conservative movement
Ben BraverDEM0 support · 0 oppose

No listings found in this guide.

Searched, nothing found

Not found in the research.

Sources

30 for this contest, official records first

Where to vote