Politics & Government
County Commissioner Mark Sharpe Announces Campaign for Congress
Sharpe plans to run against incumbent Democrat Kathy Castor whose district includes parts of Tampa, as well as parts of Temple Terrace, Westchase, Town 'N Country and the greater Brandon area.
Mark Sharpe is all in.
The Hillsborough County Commissioner announced today he will challenge U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor for her District 11 seat in Congress.
Sharpe, who had previously expressed interest in running for Congress, made his announcement at a small press conference at Buddy Brew coffee shop at 2020 W. Kennedy Blvd.
“We’re in a moment of peril, a moment of crisis in this country,” Sharpe said. “I feel a duty and an obligation to deal with that crisis.”
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It will be Sharpe's fourth run for the District 11 House seat. He ran unsuccessfully three times in the 1990s for the same seat.
“I watched my favorite movie last night – Rudy,” Sharpe said. “It took Rudy four times to get into Notre Dame.
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“I got a track record of winning, and I intend to win,” Sharpe said.
Castor a Democrat, represents parts of Tampa as well as parts of Temple Terrace, Westchase, Town 'N Country and the greater Brandon area.
The Democrat-heavy 11th District may change as state legislators plan to redraw the district boundaries in the coming months. That redistricting could result in either an increase or decrease of Democrats, a factor not lost on Sharpe. But the commissioner said he is in the race no matter how the boundaries are drawn.
“I’m prepared to win however the map makers draw the map,” he said.
It will be Sharpe's fourth run for the Florida's 11th Congressional District. He ran unsucessfully three times in the 1990 for the same seat.
Sharpe was elected as an at-large county commissioner in 2004, filling the seat vacated by former commissioner Pat Frank.
Sharpe was relected in 2006 and 2010. His current term does not expire until 2014. Sharpe said he has no plans to step down as a county commissioner, and under election law, he can keep his seat while he runs for Congress.
“I want to go (to Washington) working toward a common solution, Sharpe said, “or else we’re going to be in trouble.
“I believe that the message of working together and uniting is something Americans want to hear.”
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