U.S. House, District 12
Represents Florida's 12th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives; votes on federal laws and spending. Term: 2 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
WUSF (Aug 12 and Aug 18, 2026) and Florida Politics report the November ballot is incumbent Gus Bilirakis (R), Democratic primary winner Kimberly Overman and no-party candidate Branden Schivener ; ; . Write-in candidates not confirmed. Florida's Legislature passed a new congressional map in the April 2026 special session (Senate vote 21-17 on April 29, 2026) and the Florida Supreme Court on June 10, 2026 declined (6-1) to block it, so the new district lines apply to the Nov. 3, 2026 election; litigation on the merits continues. ; ; County list reflects pre-2026 district boundaries unless a 2026 source is cited; boundaries changed under the April 2026 map and the exact new county composition was not confirmed in searches run for this guide. NOTE ON NAME SPELLING: the no-party candidate's own campaign site and Ballotpedia spell his name 'Branden Scrivener'; WUSF's report used 'Schivener'. Confirm the ballot spelling with the Division of Elections.
Debates and forums
- None. Roll Call's Oct. 1 debate round-up named only the two CD 14 events in Florida; the Tampa Bay Times reported on Sept. 24 that Tampa Bay's Republican congressional incumbents had turned down debates. (No debate scheduled - unchanged (checked 2026-10-07))
Gus Bilirakis (R), Kimberly Overman (D), Branden Scrivener (NPA) - 2026-10-16 · Tampa Tiger Bay Club forum, Cuban Club, Ybor City. Held (forum covering Hillsborough's CD 12, 14 and 15).
Kimberly Overman (D) took part; incumbent Gus Bilirakis (R) did not appear. Branden Scrivener (NPA) is not mentioned in coverage.
Candidates
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Gus Bilirakis
Gus Bilirakis, an attorney and former state House member, has served in the U.S. House since 2007, succeeding his father Michael Bilirakis. He sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he leads the consumer-protection subcommittee and serves on the health and communications subcommittees. He had no Republican p…
Kimberly Overman
Kimberly Overman is a certified financial planner and small-business owner who served on the Hillsborough County Commission from 2018 to 2022. She says her approach is grounded in decades of public service and the realities of working-class life, including a period of housing insecurity. She won the Aug. 18, 2026 Demo…
Branden Scrivener
Branden Scrivener (spelled 'Schivener' in a WUSF report), 27, is a Medicare case manager and father of two with a bachelor's degree in human services; his site cites internships with Catholic Charities, Tampa Crossroads, the Department of Child Services and the Flagler Education Foundation and more than three years in…
Side-by-side on the major issues
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Gus Bilirakis Republican | Kimberly Overman Democratic | Branden Scrivener No Party Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Leans agree· based on record Bilirakis voted for H.R. 1 (the 2025 reconciliation law), which extended the 2017 individual tax cuts and added new deductions while reducing projected federal spending on Medicaid and SNAP. No separate statement on the tradeoff was found. He has also backed eliminating or reducing taxes on overtime, tips and Social Security benefits. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Calls for increased investment in affordable housing and transportation. | Leans agree· stated position Scrivener lists driving housing costs down as a priority and says government should ensure everyone has access to food, water and housing. He did not name specific housing programs. |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Strongly agrees· based on record Voted for the Laken Riley Act (S. 5, Jan. 22, 2025), which requires federal detention of unauthorized immigrants charged with theft or violent crimes and lets states sue over immigration enforcement. | No public position found | No public position found |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Strongly disagrees· based on record Bilirakis describes himself as pro-life, applauded the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and voted against the Women's Health Protection Act, the Right to Contraception Act and the Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act. | Strongly agrees· stated position Pledges to restore and protect the right to abortion and reproductive care. | No public position found |
| GunsGun laws should be stricter (keep the red-flag law and the age-21 purchase rule; expand background checks) rather than looser (permitless or open carry, lower purchase age). | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | Leans disagree· based on record Bilirakis voted for H.R. 1, which reduced projected federal Medicaid spending (including new work requirements) and did not extend the enhanced ACA premium subsidies. No statement supporting Medicaid expansion in Florida was found. | Strongly agrees· stated position Supports lowering prescription drug costs, expanding coverage with an emphasis on mental health, and making care affordable so people 'do not have to choose between medical care and basic needs.' She names healthcare access as one of the district's biggest challenges. | Strongly agrees· stated position In his Ballotpedia survey, Scrivener says he would advocate a reformed health system built on expanding Medicaid and Medicare, drawing on his work securing insurance authorizations for patients. |
| Social Security & MedicareSocial Security and Medicare benefits must be protected from any cuts, even if that requires more revenue. | Mixed / neutral· stated position Bilirakis says he wants to 'preserve' Medicare and Social Security and in June 2026 reintroduced the Commission on Sustaining Medicare and Social Security Act, which would create a bipartisan commission to recommend solutions to the programs' projected insolvency; the bill does not itself rule cuts in or out. He also co-sponsored codifying the $6,000 Social Security tax deduction. | Leans agree· stated position Says Congress should focus on 'safeguarding Social Security and Medicare' along with lowering costs; no detail on financing was found. | Leans agree· stated position Scrivener says he would work to strengthen Social Security to protect seniors' quality of life. He did not address benefit cuts or new revenue specifically. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | No public position found | No public position found | Leans disagree· stated position Says he believes in parent choice but that public-school funding should not be diverted to charter and third-party school programs. |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Wants resilient infrastructure, protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor and environmental justice. | No public position found |
| Elections & votingVoting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions. | Strongly disagrees· based on record Voted for the SAVE Act (H.R. 22, April 10, 2025), which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. | Leans agree· stated position Committed to protecting voting rights. | Leans agree· stated position Would advocate open primaries so independents can participate, plus term limits and campaign-finance limits. |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | Leans agree· based on record Voted for the Protecting Our Nation's Capital Emergency Act (H.R. 2096), the 2025 bill repealing parts of the District of Columbia police-accountability law; a vote for it is coded as leaning toward tougher policing. | Mixed / neutral· stated position Pairs strong law enforcement with investment in mental health, youth engagement and community-led prevention; a mixed position. | No public position found |
| Gender identity lawsFlorida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place. | Leans agree· based on record Voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (H.R. 28), the 2025 bill barring transgender girls and women from female school sports under Title IX; a vote for it is coded as leaning toward keeping restrictions in place. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Energy & utilitiesGovernment should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production. | Leans disagree· stated position Bilirakis joined more than 80 House Republicans in a letter demanding an end to what they called the Biden administration's 'assault on American energy' and maintains an issue page emphasizing domestic energy production. No statement supporting renewable mandates or utility-rate oversight was found. | Strongly agrees· stated position Supports transitioning to renewable energy, opposed converting local power infrastructure to additional fossil-fuel use, and advocates investment in solar and other clean energy. | No public position found |
| Tariffs & tradeTariffs on imported goods are good for the American economy. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| UkraineThe U.S. should continue military aid to Ukraine. | Mixed / neutral· based on record Mixed record: Bilirakis issued a release lauding passage of Russia sanctions and aid to Ukraine earlier in the war, but is reported to have voted no on H.R. 2913, the Ukraine Support Act (June 4, 2026), which authorized up to $8 billion in loans for military assistance and new Russia sanctions. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | Leans agree· stated position Introduced the Restore Veterans' Compensation Act of 2026 and lists veterans' issues among his priorities. | Leans agree· stated position Would improve access to VA care, mental-health services and job training for veterans. | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
Branden ScrivenerHow the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree), Teacher and staff pay (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Gus Bilirakis | 0.75 (4 statements) | 1.60 (5 statements) |
| Kimberly Overman | -1.75 (4 statements) | -1.00 (4 statements) |
| Branden Scrivener | -1.33 (3 statements) | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Gus Bilirakis
- Commission on Sustaining Medicare and Social Security Act — Reintroduced June 2026; would create a bipartisan commission to recommend ways to keep both programs solvent.
- Codify the $6,000 Social Security tax deduction — With Rep. Luna, introduced a bill in February 2026 to make permanent the senior deduction enacted in 2025.
- Promoting Fairness for Medicare Providers Act — Reintroduced legislation aimed at protecting seniors' access to Medicare providers.
- Restore Veterans' Compensation Act of 2026 — Introduced in 2026 to address veterans' compensation.
- Domestic energy production — Signed a House Republican letter calling for reversal of policies restricting U.S. energy production.
- Former Pinellas nuclear plant workers — Bilirakis said former Largo nuclear-weapons plant workers deserve timely, fair review of their federal medical claims and that he is looking into whether there are unnecessary barriers.
- Did not attend Oct. 16 Tiger Bay forum — Bilirakis did not appear at the Tampa Tiger Bay Club congressional forum his opponent attended.
Kimberly Overman
- Prescription drug costs — Supports lowering prescription drug prices.
- Government accountability — Names government accountability as one of the district's three biggest challenges.
- Florida Wildlife Corridor — Pledges to protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
- Mental health coverage — Emphasizes expanding coverage for mental health care.
- Education and federal role (Tiger Bay forum) — At the Oct. 16 Tampa Tiger Bay forum, Overman opposed dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, said federal education standards may be needed if states won't set them, and (per Florida Politics) called for stronger oversight of Florida's school voucher programs and more federal transit investment.
Branden Scrivener
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.