Federal · 2026 Candidate
Kelly Kirschner
Running for U.S. House District 16, District 16
Party: DemocratStatus: FiledFiled: Apr 30, 2026
Visit campaign website →Running against
Other 2026 candidates for U.S. House District 16, 16.
Tamika Lyles
Democrat · Active
Jonathan Harris
Democrat · Active
Jan Schneider
Democrat · Active
Glenn Keith Mr Pearson
Democrat · Active
Mark Davis
No Party Affiliation · Active
Vernon Buchanan
Republican · Incumbent · Active
Jason Edward Speir
Republican · Active
Edward Peter Dr. Pope
Republican · Active
Sydney Gruters
Republican · Filed
Positions on Key Issues
Sourced from campaign websites, interviews, debates, and public statements.
Education
After earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from Georgetown University , on a full scholarship working as the head manager of the men's basketball team, Kelly chose a different path than his classmates.
A third-generation Floridian, Peace Corps volunteer, former Mayor of Sarasota, and a single father who built a non-profit lifting first-generation students into the country's top universities — debt-free. Kelly and his siblings grew up helping the family citrus business. Kelly is a bilingual leader who has built broad coalitions to bring positive change to the region. Kelly serving in the Peace Corps in rural Guatemala. Kelly Kirschner is a third-generation Floridian who grew up near the Sarasota-Bradenton airport, in the kind of neighborhood where a hard day's work was the baseline expectation. After school and on weekends, Kelly worked the family fruit stand, Blue Heron Fruit Shippers , selling oranges and grapefruit alongside the rest of his family. Those long hours and thin margins taught him early that most people aren't asking for much: an honest product, a fair price, and to be treated like they matter. After earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from Georgetown University , on a full scholarship working as the head manager of the men's basketball team, Kelly chose a different path than his classmates. In 1999, he joined the Peace Corps , spending four years in northern Guatemala helping Mayan farming families reach new markets and grow household income. It was measurable, lasting work — not press releases. Service is the Kirschner family's common thread; Kelly's brother served multiple tours as a U.S. Army officer in the M
Source →Elections
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Source →Healthcare
Kelly is running for Congress to lower costs, defend health care, and bring opportunity home to the Gulf Coast.
Washington has been sold. It's time to take it back. Kelly is running for Congress to lower costs, defend health care, and bring opportunity home to the Gulf Coast. Donate Now Join the Team Stay in the loop. Get campaign updates, event invites, and ways to help — straight to your inbox. First name Email address Sign Up Thanks — you're on the list. About Kelly
Source →Insurance
Affordable home and flood insurance — and an end to the price-gouging and “business-as-usual” corruption that lets insurers lobby for immunity while your premiums skyrocket.
Affordable home and flood insurance — and an end to the price-gouging and “business-as-usual” corruption that lets insurers lobby for immunity while your premiums skyrocket.
Source →Local Government
End price gouging by oil, electric utility, and grocery giants.
End price gouging by oil, electric utility, and grocery giants.
Source →Economy
We pay more for groceries, insulin, prescriptions and rent while they pay less in taxes. When tariff chaos hammers Florida small and medium-sized businesses, farmers, and fishermen while Wall Street hedges its bets and becomes a casino, that’s Washington gambling with someone else’s livelihood.
For decades, billionaires, lobbyists, and corporations have treated Congress like a vending machine: insert donation, receive policy. We pay more for groceries, insulin, prescriptions and rent while they pay less in taxes. Our kids inherit the debt while big donors gobble up the tax breaks. Our community recovers from hurricanes alone while they recover their investment portfolios. The system is not working. Kelly Kirschner has spent his life proving that regular people — organized, outraged, and determined — can take power back. With fellow citizens, he did it in Sarasota as a neighborhood activist, City Commissioner and Mayor, taking on and beating powerful interests like Walmart, Florida Power & Light, Marina Jacks, and predatory developers. He's ready to do it for you in Washington. 1 Stop Making You Pay for Their Greed + When oil companies post record profits while we’re struggling to pay for gas, that’s not the market — it’s a rigged game. When insurance companies raise your premiums while lobbying Congress to leave them alone, that’s not business; that’s corruption with a business license. When tariff chaos hammers Florida small and medium-sized businesses, farmers, and fishermen while Wall Street hedges its bets and becomes a casino, that’s Washington gambling with someone else’s livelihood. End price gouging by oil, electric utility, and grocery giants. Hold insurance companies accountable. Invest in affordable energy th
Source →Frequently Asked
- Who is Kelly Kirschner?
- Kelly Kirschner is a 2026 Democrat candidate for U.S. House District 16, 16. Kelly Kirschner has stated positions on 6 key issues.
- What office is Kelly Kirschner running for?
- Kelly Kirschner is running for U.S. House District 16, 16. Filed: April 30, 2026.
- How can I learn more about Kelly Kirschner's positions?
- Kelly Kirschner's stated positions cover: Education, Elections, Healthcare, Insurance, Local Government, Economy. See full positions below.
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