Roll Call: 2016 Florida Democratic Senate Hopeful Keith to Challenge Mast in 2018

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Pam Keith lost primary to Murphy, who went on to lose to Rubio

Pam Keith, an attorney who worked for the Navy and in the corporate world, is running against freshman Republic Rep. Brian Mast. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Democrat Pam Keith, former primary opponent of Rep. Patrick Murphy and Alan Grayson in 2016, is running against freshman Rep. Brian Mast for his Florida 18th District House seat in 2018.

Keith, a lawyer who has worked for the Navy and in the corporate world, was unable to attract much fundraising for her 2016 run. Murphy went on to be the Democratic nominee for Senate and lose to Sen. Marco Rubio.

Although Mast won election by 9 points in 2016, Democrats are hopeful that 2018 will be a difficult year for Republicans. Keith pointed to Mast’s vote on the Republican health bill as a particular weakness.

“When his constituents were begging to talk to him and tell him why the vote to repeal Obamacare was a horrible idea, he wasn’t even willing to listen to them,” she said.

Mast has attempted to position himself as a moderate, and one of few Republicans to take an interest in climate change, which is a particularly important issue in the coastal Florida district he represents. But he’s also faced angry constituents as a result of Donald Trump’s presidency and Mast’s support for the GOP health bill.