Laurel Lee seeks reelection in Florida's 15th District

Rep. Laurel Lee, a Republican representing Florida's 15th Congressional District, is running for reelection on Nov. 3, 2026. She faces Democrat Robert People in the general election, according to BallotReady election data.

The district includes Pasco County and the Wesley Chapel area. Lee has held the seat since 2023. Before Congress, she served as Florida's secretary of state and as a Hillsborough County circuit court judge.

Candidate information

Party: Republican

Office sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Florida 15th Congressional District

Election date: Nov. 3, 2026

Birthplace: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Lee is the daughter of a two-star general in the U.S. Air Force and a public school teacher, according to her congressional biography.

Education: Bachelor of arts in political science, University of Florida, 1996. Juris doctor, University of Florida, 1999.

Experience and public service

Lee's career spans federal prosecution, the bench and statewide office.

She served as a federal prosecutor and lead attorney on the Child Exploitation Task Force at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, according to her campaign website. She also worked as an assistant federal public defender in the Middle District of Florida.

Lee clerked for U.S. District Judge James S. Moody Jr. and practiced at Carlton Fields, P.A. in Tampa, according to a 2019 press release from the governor's office. Governor Rick Scott appointed her to the Hillsborough County Circuit Court bench, where she served as a judge for six years, presiding over civil and criminal cases.

Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Lee as Florida secretary of state in January 2019. She served in that role until May 2022, according to her congressional biography.

In Congress, Lee serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on the Judiciary, according to her committees page. She is vice chair of the Committee on House Administration and chairs its Subcommittee on Elections. She also leads the Second Chances Task Force and serves on the House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and the Bipartisan Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump. Lee served as an impeachment manager in the case against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Lee's campaign website and reflect the candidate's own stated views.

Immigration: Lee said she supports finishing the border wall and reinstating Trump administration border policies, including Remain in Mexico, as well as deporting people who enter the country unlawfully.

Economy and taxes: Lee said she will fight for policies to cut wasteful spending, lower taxes, balance the budget and reduce regulations on families and small businesses.

Public safety: A former judge and prosecutor, Lee said she is a strong supporter of law enforcement.

Veterans: Lee said she will fight to ensure the military is supported and veterans receive the care they earned. Her campaign website states there are more than 45,000 veterans and active-duty service members in the 15th Congressional District.

Second Amendment: Lee said she supports protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners.