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May 14, 2026 · Website
16th Congressional District Candidate, Kelly Kirschner, Raises Over $100,000 in the First Week — Without a Single Dollar from Corporate PACs
Voters and Local Leaders Across the Gulf Coast Rally Behind Former Sarasota Mayor, Kelly Kirschner’s Bid for Florida’s 16th Congressional District
Kelly Kirschner’s bid to represent families, seniors, and communities of the sprawling, newly drawn 16th Congressional District marks a major early milestone: more than $100,000 raised in the first week of campaigning, without a dollar from corporate PACs, alongside a wave of early endorsements, from leaders across the Gulf Coast and spanning the political spectrum.
Kirschner launches his campaign at a moment when Gulf Coast families brace for the next insurance renewal notice, watch the weekly grocery total climb, and dread every new health care bill that lands in their mailbox. Meanwhile, the corporate lobbyists and billionaires who have spent decades shaping Washington are doing just fine. Getting rich off a government funded by working people. Kirschner is running on a simple idea: this is our government, we paid for it, and it is time we took it back.
Let’s fix this.
Bipartisan endorsements from both sides of Tampa Bay
Led by former St. Pete Mayor, Rick Kriseman
Endorsements (updated October 2026)
Kirschner’s record of getting things done has drawn immediate financial and grassroots support, including endorsements from bipartisan leaders across the region.
National Bipartisan Voices
- Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D)
- Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D)
- Former US Senator Kent Conrad (D)
- Former US Congressman Dave Trott (R)
- Former US Congressman Dan Miller (R)
National Leaders
- Dr. Henry David Abraham, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
- James Story, Former US Ambassador to Venezuela
- Douglas McElhaney, Former US Ambassador to Bosnia
- Kevin McGuire, Former US Ambassador to Namibia
Florida Bipartisan Elected Officials
Current and Former Pinellas & St. Petersburg Elected Officials
- Ben Diamond, Former St. Petersburg State Representative
- René Flowers, Pinellas County Commissioner
- Rick Kriseman, Former St. Petersburg Mayor, State Representative
- Deborah Figgs-Sanders, St. Petersburg City Council Member
Current and Former Gulfport Elected Officials
- Jennifer Webb, Gulfport City Council Member, Former State Representative (Pinellas County)
- Cynthia Wurner, Gulfport City Council Member
- Marlene Shaw, Gulfport Vice Mayor
- April Thanos, Former Gulfport City Council Member
Current and Former Longboat Key & Manatee Elected Officials
- Judy Titsworth, Holmes Beach Mayor
- B.J. Bishop, Longboat Key Town Commissioner
- George Kruse, Manatee County Commissioner
- Dr. Robert McCann, Manatee County Commissioner
- Keith Fitzgerald, Former State Representative (Sarasota/Manatee)
Current and Former Sarasota Elected Officials
- Liz Barker, Sarasota County School Board Member
- Tom Edwards, Sarasota County School Board Member
- Jennifer Ahearn-Koch, Sarasota City Commissioner
- Fredd Atkins, Former Sarasota City Commissioner
- Suzanne Atwell, Former Sarasota City Commissioner
- Mollie Cardamone, Former Sarasota City Commissioner
- Ken Shelin, Former Sarasota City Commissioner
- Terry Turner, Former Sarasota City Commissioner
Former Desoto, Hardee, Polk Elected Officials
- Denise Grimsley, Former State Senator and Former State Representative
Faith, Civic, Education and Community Leaders
- Don Eastman, former President, Eckerd College
- Dr. Katurah Jenkins-Hall, Associate Pastor (Tampa/St. Petersburg)
- Joe Kinnan, Former Manatee High School football coach (Bradenton)
- Henry Lawrence (Palmetto), Former NFL player
- Reverend Louis M. Murphy, Sr. (St. Petersburg)
- Reverend Charles S. McKenzie, Jr. (Manatee)
- Merrie Lynn Parker, Former school district administrator (Manatee)
- Rob Perry, President and Coach, Sowing Seeds Tennis (St. Petersburg)
- Sarah Pappas, Former President, State College of Florida (Manatee)
- Reverend Willie Charles Shaw, Former Mayor and veteran (Sarasota)
- Nadine Smith, Executive Director, Equality Florida
- Bishop Manuel L. Sykes (St. Petersburg)
Civic Organizations
“I have known and worked with Kelly for nearly twenty years. He has a proven record of making government work for the people it represents; solving problems for our families, seniors, and communities.”Rick Kriseman, former St. Petersburg Mayor
“Working families were promised relief eighteen months ago. What we got instead are skyrocketing prices for property insurance, taxes, medical care, gasoline, and groceries, while a far-right majority in Washington openly debates cuts to Medicare and Social Security.“
“For decades, billionaires, lobbyists, and corporations have treated Congress like a vending machine: insert dollars, receive influence.
The result is a system in which we pay more for groceries, medical care and housing while they pay less in taxes.
Our kids inherit the debt while big donors gobble up the tax breaks. I’ve spent my life serving my family and our community.
I have taken on FPL, sweetheart marina deals, and special interests – and won. I did it for our families in Sarasota, and I am ready to do it in Washington.”
-– Kelly Kirschner
A District That Reflects His Life
Kirschner enters the race with a proven track record of taking on and defeating powerful special interests and deep roots in this newly-drawn district.
No matter how this district was cobbled together, Kelly Kirschner has lived it. His connection to the district is lifelong and personal.
Florida’s massive new Congressional District 16, stretches from St. Petersburg through Sarasota and Manatee Counties, and beyond. It is roughly twice the size of Rhode Island and is widely regarded as one of the most egregiously gerrymandered districts in the state. Critics across the political spectrum have called it a symbol of everything that is broken in Tallahassee and in Washington D.C.
He has lived in two of its six counties, and worked in three of them.
Questions have been raised in the press about whether any candidate in this race truly knows St. Petersburg? Kirschner’s answer is his record — 14 years of sustained civic engagement in the city: Eckerd College — Vice President and Dean, Executive and Continuing Education (13 years):Kirschner led all of Eckerd College’s non-credit and executive education programs, building partnerships across the Tampa Bay business community and earning a reputation as one of the region’s foremost voices on workforce and lifelong learning.
St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce — Board Member:A decade plus of service on the Chamber’s board, helping shape the city’s business climate and economic direction.
Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg — Board Member (5 years):Serving on the board of one of St. Pete’s most important public health institutions, working to reduce health inequities across the city.
TigerBay Club of Pinellas County — Past President and board member:Leadership of the region’s leading nonpartisan political forum, hosting candidates and elected officials from across the spectrum.
Outspent. Outmatched. He Still Won.
Kirschner’s path to victory in this election will be built on a record of winning where he wasn’t supposed to. In his first run for City Commission, he was outspent three-to-one by an incumbent backed by special interest money. He won that race with 75% of the vote. As neighborhood activist, Mayor, and Commissioner, he successfully took on powerful interests like Florida Power & Light, sweetheart marina deals and predatory developers. And he led the charge to pass the strongest municipal campaign finance reform legislation in Florida’s history.
The over $100,000 raised in the campaign’s first week demonstrates this same grassroots momentum — a broad coalition of donors across the Gulf Coast believe this race can be won.
About Kelly Kirschner
A graduate of Georgetown University and a returned U.S. Peace Corps Guatemala volunteer, Kirschner has spent the last fourteen years working and serving across the new District 16, from Sarasota to St. Petersburg.
His work with the regional non-profit UnidosNow has helped over 1,000 first-generation students earn scholarships and attend the nation’s top universities without debt.
For more information on Kelly Kirschner’s campaign please contact Matthew Johnson (727) 252-9948 or email: [email protected]
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