Kevin Steele Shouldn't Throw Stones While Living in a Glass House
A debunked accusation, a real residency problem, and a $250 million question he still hasn't answered
Kevin Steele went on X this week to accuse Mike Beltran of a "voter registration scandal," claiming his primary opponent is registered in two states at once. "He can run all the ads he wants. He can't run from his own voter registration scandal," Steele wrote, adding "I registered Republican in Florida the day I turned 18, and I've never voted any other way."
Joseph Quesada's Floridian piece did note the New York claim had been challenged, citing Loomered's own description of "purported documents" showing Beltran's father cast the ballot. That undersells what actually happened. The New York City Board of Elections did not just entertain a dispute, it formally revised its official records, and Beltran no longer appears anywhere on New York's voter rolls, a fact independently confirmed by Florida Politics, not just Loomer's own site. Steele citing this claim as a live "scandal" days later isn't holding Beltran accountable. It's recycling something the record has already closed.
The Loomer Claim Is Dead. Steele Is Reviving a Corpse.
The "voter registration scandal" Steele is referencing comes from Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer), who published a report in July claiming Beltran had been registered to vote in New York City since 2002 and cast a ballot there in the 2025 mayoral election.
Beltran denied it immediately. He pointed to his own father, also named Michael R. Beltran, who has lived at the same Brooklyn address for decades. He backed that up with a sworn declaration from his father, vehicle transponder data, and photographs placing him in Florida on election day.
The New York City Board of Elections has since formally revised its records. They confirm Beltran's father cast the ballot, not the candidate. Beltran no longer appears anywhere on New York's voter rolls.
Loomer has not corrected her original article. Her attorney has continued to defend the reporting even after the government paperwork came back against it. That is her call to make. But Kevin Steele citing a claim New York's own election board has already disproven, on the record, is not "holding Beltran accountable." It is recycling a debunked story because he needs a distraction.
Laura Loomer got this one wrong. The record now proves it. She should say so publicly instead of standing behind a story the New York Board of Elections has already corrected.
Steele's Own Voting Problem Is Not Disputed by Anyone
While Steele was busy accusing Beltran of a voting scandal, he had his own, and this one isn't in dispute. Steele resigned his Florida House District 55 seat this month after it was revealed he cast his own primary vote in Hillsborough County, outside the Pasco County district he was elected to represent. Florida law requires state lawmakers to live and be registered to vote in the district they serve. Steele didn't meet that bar and had to step down because of it.
There is no residency requirement to run for Congress, so Steele is free to run in FL-14 regardless of where he lives. That's not the point. The point is Steele spent his final weeks in the Florida House unable to satisfy the basic residency requirement for the seat he was elected to hold, then went on social media to lecture Beltran about voter registration integrity.
Steele Couldn't Decide What Race He Wanted to Run
This isn't Steele's first pivot this cycle. He dropped out of the race for Florida Chief Financial Officer in February, after already being in that race, and said at the time he'd run for re-election in HD 55, the seat he'd won with 64% of the vote in 2024. Then in May, he reversed again and jumped into the FL-14 primary against Beltran instead.
Three different races in the span of a few months. A candidate who can't settle on what office he's running for isn't in a strong position to question anyone else's decision-making, let alone their voting record.
The Money Question Steele Still Hasn't Answered
None of this touches the financial question TCT already documented on this site: Steele Family Holdings LLC dropped from $375 million to $124.8 million across four years of his own Form 6 financial disclosures, a loss of roughly $250 million, filed with zero supporting documentation next to a stock portfolio he itemized in full every other year. That finding stands untouched. Steele has not addressed it.
Bottom Line
Kevin Steele had a debunked story and a real problem of his own. He led with the debunked story. Voters in FL-14 deserve better than a candidate who can't decide what office he wants, can't meet his own district's residency requirement, and picks fights over voter registration records that New York's own election board has already corrected.
This article is an opinion piece and reflects the views of the author. The Congressional Times is committed to factual accuracy; all claims herein are sourced from official records, primary-source filings, and independent reporting as cited.