When State RepresentativeRon Reagan was unable to seek reelection in 2010 due to term limits, Steube ran to succeed him in the 67th District, based in southern Hillsborough County, eastern Manatee County, and northern Sarasota County, stretching from Apollo Beach to Fruitville. He received an endorsement from U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan, who called Steube "extremely knowledgeable of the district and the district's issues."[3] In the Republican primary, he defeated Jeremiah J. Guccione and Robert McCann with 53% of the vote to Guccione's 28% and McCann's 19%. He advanced to the general election, where he faced Democratic nominee Z. J. Hafeez and independent candidate John M. Studebaker. Both candidates opposed offshore oil drilling off the coast of the state, supported solar energy, and favored medical tort law reform "that they [felt would] increase access to health care for Floridians."[4] Steube won 68% of the vote to Hafeez's 27% and Studebaker's 5%.[5]
After the reconfiguration of state legislative districts in 2012, Steube's district was renumbered the 73rd district. The district was pushed further into Sarasota County while losing its share of Hillsborough County. Steube won his party's nomination unopposed, and moved on to the general election, facing only Bob McCann, who had previously run against Steube in the 2010 Republican primary, but was running as an independent. Steube and McCann disagreed over whether the state should expand Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with Steube opposed and McCann in favor, and over whether the state should fund charter schools, with Steube in favor and McCann opposed.[6] Steube was endorsed by the Bradenton Herald, which praised him for his "strong first term and his qualifications", specifically calling him out for working to put two constitutional amendments on the ballot that provide tax exemptions to the spouses of deceased military veterans and property tax relief to low-income seniors.[7] Steube defeated McCann with 74% of the vote. In 2014, Steube was reelected to his third term in the legislature without opposition.[citation needed]
Florida Senate
In 2016, Steube ran for the Florida Senate seat vacated by Nancy Detert, who was term limited. He defeated four other candidates in the Republican primary, receiving 31% of the vote, and won the general election against Democrat Frank Alcock, 59 to 41%.[8][9]
Steube ran for the Republican nomination for Florida's 17th Congressional District in 2018, a seat that was being vacated by Tom Rooney, who declined to seek reelection. He won the August 28 Republican primary. In the November 6 general election, he defeated Democrat Allen Ellison, who replaced the original Democratic nominee, April Freeman, after she died unexpectedly in September.[10]
Steube was reelected in 2020 with 64.6% of the vote, defeating Democrat Allen Ellison.[11]
2022
For his first two terms, Steube represented a large swath of south-central Florida, from the outer suburbs of Sarasota and Fort Myers through the Everglades to the shores of Lake Okeechobee. However, after the 2020 census, his district was made significantly more compact, picking up all of Sarasota while losing most of its inland territory to the 18th district. The new 19th was no less Republican than its predecessor, and Steube easily won a third term.
Tenure
Steube supports repealing the Affordable Care Act.[12] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Steube argued that the "deep state" at the FDA was preventing the usage of hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug, to treat COVID-19.[12]
On January 6–7, 2021, Steube voted not to certify the election of Joe Biden as President.[17] On January 13, Steube voted against the second impeachment of Donald Trump.[18]
In October 2020 and again in January 2021, Steube introduced a bill to stop technology platforms from suspending conservative accounts.[19]
In June 2021, Steube was among 21 House Republicans who voted against a resolution to give the Congressional Gold Medal to police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6.[22]
In June 2021, Steube was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the AUMF against Iraq.[23][24]
In May 2024, Steube accomplished the rare achievement of stewarding a complete discharge petition, corralling 29 Republican votes with 189 Democrats to bring a bill on disaster relief to the floor.[32]
The PACT ACT which expanded VA benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their military service, received a "nay" from Steube.[35] Regarding cannabis, despite lobbying from VSOs such as the DAV[36] Steube also voted against 2022 MORE Act.[37][38]
On January 18, 2023, Steube fell approximately 25 feet (7.6 m) off a ladder while cutting tree limbs at his home in Sarasota, Florida. He was admitted to Sarasota Memorial Hospital with multiple injuries, including a punctured lung, fractured pelvis, and torn neck ligaments.[45] He was released from the hospital on January 21.[46][47] An Amazon delivery driver was the first to find Steube after the accident, and called 911; Steube invited the driver as his guest to the 2023 State of the Union.[48] Steube later told Politico that Donald Trump was the first person to contact him while he was in the ICU.[49]
Six weeks before the 2018 election, Steube's Democratic opponent, 54-year-old April Freeman, was found dead. The cause of death was a heart attack.[51] A replacement, Allen Ellison, was appointed, but ballots were already printed. Rather than reprint, Ellison's name was left off of the ballot.[52]
^"W. Gregory Steube". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
^McPherson, Lindsey (October 31, 2018). "As House Republicans Brace for Losses, Freedom Caucus Prepares for Growth". Roll Call. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2018. Potential recruits receiving Freedom Fund money this cycle include Chip Roy in Texas' 21st District, Yvette Herrell in New Mexico's 2nd District, Mark Harris in North Carolina's 9th District, Greg Steube in Florida's 17th District, Denver Riggleman in Virginia's 5th District, Mark Green in Tennessee's 7th District, Russ Fulcher in Idaho's 1st District, Ron Wright in Texas' 6th District and Ben Cline in Virginia's 6th District.
