Democratic candidate fields Republican supporters — among them a sitting county commissioner and a former Congressman.
By Ed James III
Original Air Date: September 17 2026
Host: The newly gerrymandered Congressional districts in Florida are designed to oust incumbents from Democratic strongholds. But they also made neighboring districts more competitive. Case in point: The Manatee County-centered District 16. The Democratic Party has declared it to be “in play,” and a poll commissioned by Kelly Kirschner, the Democrat running for the U.S. House seat, says he’s in a dead heat with his Republican opponent. In this environment, Kelly Kirschner made a splash this week by parading a group of prominent Republicans who endorse him. Ed James III reports.
[Applause]
Ed James III: Inside the Pier 22 restaurant, overlooking the Manatee River this past Tuesday, the atmospheric shift in local politics was in plain sight. Framed by “Republicans for Kirschner” signs, the candidate surrounded himself with five Republican figures, including a sitting Manatee County commissioner and a former Congressman.
For decades, Florida’s 16th Congressional District—until recently, covering just Manatee County and a bit of Hillsborough—was a reliable Republican stronghold. But now it encompasses all of Manatee County and portions of Pinellas and Sarasota counties as well as rural DeSoto, Hardee and Polk counties.
Represented by incumbent Republican Vern Buchanan since 2007, Manatee County has historically leaned conservative. However, shifting demographics and district boundaries, storms, flooding and other water challenges, exploding cost of living, suburban sprawl and growing weariness of culture war party politics are changing the local political dynamic.
In a crowded primary contest, Kirschner won the Democratic nomination by securing 43% of the vote in a five-way race to advance to the November ballot.
He is now up against Sydney Gruters. She is arguably the candidate in Florida most emblematic for the current Republican establishment. The former staffer of retiring Rep. Vern Buchanan coasted past two Republican grassroots challengers in the primaries. Sydney Gruters is not only the wife of Joe Gruters—an early endorser of Donald Trump in Florida and now the man pulling the strings of the national Republican Party—but she got the endorsement of Trump himself, even before she declared her run. Not surprisingly, her campaign is flush in cash.
So how is Kirschner responding?
Tuesday morning’s event was organized around a distinct premise: that Home Rule, environmental preservation, and fiscal responsibility transcend rigid party lines. Emceed by Manatee County resident and Suncoast Waterkeeper Board member Rusty Chinnis—a self-identified registered Republican—the program brought together a notable slate of local figures who announced their support for Kirschner.
Chinnis set the tone for the morning early in his opening remarks:
Rusty Chinnis: The names on this advisory this morning are not the whole list. They are the ones who were ready to stand behind a microphone today. Republicans and independents in this country are coming forward daily—some quietly, some publicly and more every week. The Kirschner campaign will keep publishing those names on its website and across social channels. If you’re watching this and you’ve been thinking about it, the door is open.
EJ: The roster of “Republicans for Kirschner” includes Longboat Key Town Commissioner B.J. Bishop, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth, a former finance director for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and current St. Petersburg resident Jim Brady, local conservationist and retired school administrator Merrie Lynn Parker and civil rights trail-blazer Reggie Bellamy—who famously became the first African American athlete to sign a football letter of intent with the University of Miami.
Most notably, taking the podium was Republican Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse. He brought up his long personal history with Kirschner and blasted current partisan dynamics in Washington:
George Kruse
George Kruse: Our party has effectively gone through a hostile takeover, and it no longer resembles the conservative party that many of us filed to run as Republicans in years past. If you even think to dissent—if you have one single different view—you’re labeled a socialist rather than having an honest conversation about how your difference of opinion may actually help the residents we’re all supposed to be helping.
EJ: Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Miller notes that this shift reflects a broader trend among voters looking past traditional party lines:
Kelly Kirschner and five-term Congressman Dan Miller
Lawrence Miller: Republicans outnumber Democrats. Any Democrat running is going to need independent votes and some Republican votes in order to win. I think it’s a feather in their cap—not just Kelly Kirschner, who I think is an excellent candidate, but also David Jolly. He also had an event with that same individual you were mentioning—George Kruse—and some others went ahead and supported as Republicans for Jolly and now for Kelly Kirschner as well. I think that that indicates a shift within the political spectrum here.
EJ: Environmental conservation was another central theme of the event. Merrie Lynn Parker, a former Manatee school district administrator and former board member of Suncoast Waterkeeper, spoke about why she chose to publicly back Kirschner’s bid:
Merrie Lynn Parker: I’ve lived in Manatee County for almost 80 years. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain by supporting Kelly Kirschner. I want him for our congressman for a better future for our region—for my grandchildren and their children.
EJ: Partisan division and fiscal policy were addressed by former Republican Congressman Dan Miller, who represented the region in the U.S. House of Representatives during five terms. Miller reflected on his time in office during the 1990s and emphasized working across party lines.
Following the formal program at Pier 22, I caught up with Kirschner.
Kelly Kirschner
Kelly Kirschner: I think what voters are most concerned about is the level of responsiveness and integrity that is brought back to Washington, D.C. If you look at the core issue that citizens have in this congressional district but probably throughout this country, it’s whether or not Congress actually listens to citizens and then acts and responds on their overwhelming needs and desires.
We can start with all three generations. My mother—and I know your family, Ed—but my mother, who depends on Social Security. We just heard that Social Security is going to be cut by 20% in five years, the Medicare trust by a similar factor. These are not entitlements; these are promises made to our parents that they would have that and be able to rely on that with a life of dignity.
The lie that we’re being told that, somehow, cuts have to be made—we can’t afford it—while we’re prosecuting wars overseas—wars of choice—that are costing us hundreds of billions of dollars—when we’re spending tens of billions of dollars on having a paramilitary force in our streets when all we have to do is change our laws on immigration, we don’t have to spend $75 billion—there are these false choices that are given over and over again to American citizens, and they’re wrapped in clothing that this is a red or a blue issue. What we were talking about today is, these aren’t red or blue issues. These are issues of fundamental responsiveness to citizens. Can we get big money out of government?
EJ: Reporting for WSLR News 96.5 FM, I’m Ed James III.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm.