Going into the election last week, many Democrats had expectations that not only would they win back the White House, but retake the U.S. Senate and add seats in the House of Representatives.

That didn’t exactly happen, though it’s still possible that they could control all three branches of the federal government if they were to take the two U.S. Senate seats on the ballot in Georgia in January.

Some Tampa Bay area members of Congress say that with a divided government again very possible, however, it will be time to seriously work with members of the opposing party to get things accomplished.

“We have to work together and that’s why Joe Biden is the right person at the right time because he has a record of uniting folks, bringing people together,” says Tampa area Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor, who says she spoke with newly elected Polk County area GOP Congressman Scott Franklin this week.

“We had a long conversation about areas that we want to work on together and I look forward to that, because I’ve learned in my time in Congress that to make real change, durable change, it does need to be bipartisan, and I’m looking forward to that,” Castor said. 

Franklin is a former Naval Aviator who served 14 years on active duty and 12 years in the Navy Reserves. In an interview with Spectrum Bay News 9 shortly before his victory last week, he said that his military background will enable him to work with people from all different persuasions.

“When I shaved my head on induction day at the Naval Academy, I was alongside African-Americans from Opelika, Alabama, Hispanic Americans from El Paso, Texas. Folks from Escondido, California. Detroit. Brooklyn. We were as different as could be,” he said. “But when we shaved our head and put our uniform on, and swore our oath to the Constitution, we figured out how to get things done. And we have to do that as a country. We have got to being able to find solutions and quit trying to just make political points, with soundbites.”

Pinellas Democratic Congressman Charlie Crist said it’s not that big of a leap to imagine Democrats and Republicans working together, citing the bill he sponsored in the House that directs the U.S. Department of Justice to support the development and establishment of Veterans’ treatment courts at the local, tribal and state levels. The bill was sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Republican Martha McSally and signed into law by President Trump in August.

“You had two Republicans and a Democrat in myself just doing what’s right for veterans in America, and in particular in Florida, and realizing, you know, ‘Put aside the party label, do what’s right for America, we can get things done,’” Crist said. “Maybe that can be a model if we have a split Congress and a Democratic president. But I’m optimistic. I’m hopeful.” 

Crist, who is currently airing a television ad in the Bay area thanking voters (including those who didn’t vote for him) for participating in last week’s election, defeated Republican Anna Paulina Luna by “only” six percentage points. While that’s still a healthy margin of victory, it was considerably less than the 15-point spread he won his election by in 2018 (and what he says his own internal polls were showing in this cycle). Crist attributes that to the popularity of Donald J. Trump’s presence on the ballot.

“Give credit where credit’s due. I mean, the man turned out a lot of voters, you know? And I saw the level of enthusiasm,” Crist said, noting the plethora of boats with Trump flags flying high in the Gulf. “The energy was there. He deserves credit for that for the Republican Party.”

Spectrum Bay News 9 also reached out to Pasco County-area Republican Congressman Gus Bilirakis, but a spokesperson says he was taking some personal time with his family and was not available to comment.