TAMPA BAY, Fla. — Democratic candidate Kelly Kirschner and Republican candidate Sydney Gruters on Tuesday won their parties’ nominations in the races for U.S. Congressional District 16.
Kirschner faced four other challengers in the primary, but he ultimately emerged victorious over Jonathan Harris, Tamika Lyles, Glenn Pearson and Jan Schneider. Kirschner received 43% of the vote in the primary with 98.76% of the precincts reporting
Gruters faced two challengers in the GOP primary, but she defeated Eddie Speir and Ed Pope. Gruters won 63.5% of the vote with 99% of the precincts reporting.
They will face off against each other, as well as Mark Davis, who has no party affiliation in the race, in November.
For the CD-16 race, both Inside Elections and the Cook Political Report have the race ranked as a “solid Republican” seat, meaning that it’s largely expected that Gruters will emerge victorious in November, although that is a long way from August’s primary win.
The district was changed in 2026, expanding north into St. Petersburg, as well as east further into Central Florida. Election officials across Tampa Bay responded by working to ensure that voters were made aware of the new districts.
