FL-18: Pam Keith (D)
PROFILE
About Keith:
Pam Keith is the Democratic Nominee for Florida’s 18th Congressional District, winning the 2020 primary with 80% of the vote—a record for this district.
Keith is the daughter of a U.S. diplomat and former U.S. ambassador. She was born in Turkey and lived in Morocco, Syria, Brazil, and several U.S. cities before going to high school in Oakland, Calif., and attending U.C. Davis for her B.A. and M.A. degrees. She then attended Boston College Law School where she was Moot Court champion and made Law Review. Her desire to serve her country led Keith to commission into the U.S. Navy as a JAG Officer in 1995. She served for four years, including a tour as Officer in Charge of the Legal Services Office in Bahrain. Keith later served as the first JAG assigned to the Navy Task Force on Computer Network Security. She speaks French, Spanish, and Portuguese. When elected, Keith will serve as the first Black female veteran in the history of the United States Congress.
Keith has more than twenty years of legal experience, having worked at the law firms Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Jones Day; and Ogletree Deakins. In 2011, she was recruited to serve as senior in-house counsel for NextEra Energy/Florida Power & Light Co. Keith is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and volunteers as a consultant to Faith, Hope Love, Charity, Inc., a local non-profit that serves homeless and at-risk veterans.
In 2016, Keith became the first African American woman to run a qualified campaign for the U.S. Senate in Florida history, garnering the endorsement of the Miami Herald and more than 15% of the vote. In that race—her first foray into politics—she gained popularity all over Florida. She is the fresh face and new voice of Florida Democrats.
