Spotlight: Kelly Kirschner, Democratic candidate for Florida’s 16th Congressional District
Photo: Kelly Kirschner campaign
Kelly Kirschner, a former Sarasota mayor, is the Democratic nominee in Florida's 16th Congressional District. He faces Republican Sydney Gruters and no-party candidate Mark Davis on Nov. 3, 2026 (Bay News 9).
Who he is
Kirschner, 51, is a Bradenton native (Florida Phoenix). His campaign says he is a third-generation Floridian who grew up near the Sarasota-Bradenton airport and worked at his family's fruit stand, Blue Heron Fruit Shippers, and that he is a single father of two (campaign site). He earned a bachelor's in foreign service and a master's in Latin American studies from Georgetown (BallotReady) and served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala (Observer).
He was elected to the Sarasota City Commission in 2007 and became mayor in 2010; his father, the late Kerry Kirschner, was also a Sarasota mayor (Observer). He was the founding director of UnidosNow, and from 2012 to 2025 he was vice president and dean of executive and continuing education at Eckerd College (Observer; BallotReady).
The race
Kirschner won the Aug. 18 Democratic primary with 43% over Jonathan Harris, Tamika Lyles, Glenn Pearson and Jan Schneider (Bay News 9). He calls the seat "a district-in-play" (ABC Action News).
Where he stands
Costs: His top issue is "lowering insurance, healthcare, and prescription drug costs" (campaign site).
Health care: He wants to restore the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies and supports "looking into" Medicare for all (Florida Phoenix).
Property insurance: He proposes a national catastrophic reinsurance fund (WSLR).
Lobbyists: He says lobbyists have "treated Congress like a vending machine" (Observer).
War: "No more blank checks" (campaign site).
Who's backing him
His campaign lists the Florida AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, Social Security Works, Rep. Lois Frankel, former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, and a group of Republicans led by former Rep. Dan Miller (campaign site). The Florida Phoenix confirmed Miller's support.
The money
From April 1 to July 29, his campaign raised $296,507 and had $80,738 in cash on hand, according to the FEC.
Campaign: kellykirschner.com
How we reported this: This profile was drafted with AI assistance from the sources linked above, and each fact is linked to its source. FMNN Spotlight profiles are not endorsements. We invite every candidate in this race to share their positions with us. See an error? Contact us and we'll correct it. Disclosure: FMNN sells merchandise referencing Donald Trump. Our reporting follows the record regardless.
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