Kelly Kirschner raised more than $100,000 in his first week campaigning for Florida’s 16th Congressional District, earning an endorsement from former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.
A closely watched Democratic bid to win Florida’s open 16th Congressional District gained momentum this week after candidate Kelly Kirschner announced he raised more than $100,000 in his first week of campaigning, a figure he framed as a signal of early strength for the November race.
Kirschner, seeking to flip the seat from red to blue, also landed an endorsement from former St.. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.. Kriseman said he reached the campaign’s critical fundraising milestone without turning to corporate political action committees. adding that the result was more than any other candidate who entered the race before the end of the first quarter.
The contrast is sharp inside the Republican field. In April, Republican Sydney Gruters announced she had already raised six figures in a matter of hours after launching her campaign.
The race for CD 16 has begun to take on the look of a money competition from the start, with both parties betting that fundraising early can translate into visibility and ground game as the general election approaches.
Kirschner tied his initial fundraising push to a message aimed at working families and what he described as practical solutions to everyday costs.. He argued that “working families were promised relief eighteen months ago. ” but have instead faced higher prices for property insurance. taxes. medical care. gasoline. and groceries.. He also criticized what he called a far-right majority in Washington for debating cuts to Medicare and Social Security.
In remarks tied to his campaign themes. Kirschner said billionaires. lobbyists. and corporations treat Congress as a “vending machine. ” describing a political system in which regular Americans pay more while large donors receive tax advantages.. He said his own record of challenging powerful interests included taking on FPL. “sweetheart marina deals. ” and other special interests. which he said he did first for Sarasota and is now ready to do in Washington.
Kirschner announced his candidacy after approval of a new congressional map following Gov. Ron DeSantis. The redrawn CD 16 would run from southern Pinellas County down to Sarasota County, while also extending east into DeSoto and Hardee counties.
The map is currently under legal challenge. and Kirschner’s campaign has called the district “the most egregiously gerrymandered districts in the state.” He said he would run either in the new configuration of CD 16 or the lines currently represented by retiring U.S.. Rep.. Vern Buchanan, a Longboat Key Republican.
Personal ties to several parts of the altered district may also help explain the campaign’s early focus.. Kirschner has lived or worked in three of the six counties that make up the newly drawn district.. Beyond public service in Sarasota. he worked in Pinellas County as Vice President and Dean of Executive and Continuing Education at Eckerd College. and he grew up in Manatee where he took his first job working at his grandfather’s citrus stand.
Kriseman’s endorsement adds a familiar name from Democratic politics in Florida.. The former mayor. speaking of Kirschner’s background. said he had known and worked with him for nearly twenty years and described him as having a record of making government work for the people it represents. including solving problems for families. seniors. and communities.
Kelly Kirschner CD 16 fundraising Sydney Gruters Rick Kriseman Florida congressional race gerrymandered district
100k in a week dont mean nothing when the other lady raised that in like hours lol
wait so he said no corporate PACs but then who gave him the money then, regular people dont just hand over 100 thousand dollars in a week that doesnt even make sense to me. im not saying hes lying but something about that dont add up and nobody in the media is asking that question.
Rick Kriseman endorsing him is actually a pretty big deal if you know anything about St Pete politics, that guy was mayor for a long time and people there still respect him. I dunno if Kirschner can actually flip it though, Florida CD 16 has been red for like forever I think. my uncle lives in that area and he said nobody really knows who this guy is yet so theres a lot of ground to cover. the insurance and grocery stuff might actually land though cause people down there are getting killed by those costs.
wasnt this the district that had that whole scandal a while back or am i thinking of somewhere else