Area Republicans rally for Democrat Kirschner against Trump-endorsed Gruters

Several area Republican leaders gathered before guests and reporters this week to officially endorse Democrat Kelly Kirschner for Congress in District 16. At an event Tuesday morning along Bradenton’s riverfront at Pier 22, current and former officials took to the podium to explain why they believe Republican voters should follow their lead and back a candidate rather than a political party in the race.

Speakers included Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse, a Republican serving a second term representing the county’s District 7; former teacher and retired Manatee School District administrator Merrie Lynn Parker; Republican Jim Brady, a former finance director for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp; and Manatee High School graduate and five-term Republican congressman Dan Miller.

Longboat Key Town Commissioner B.J. Bishop, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth, and Ray Bellamy—a Palmetto community leader and historic sports figure who made history as the University of Miami’s first Black football player—also appeared in support of Kirschner’s candidacy, seated at the press conference table at the front of the room.

Manatee County resident and Suncoast Waterkeeper Board member Rusty Chinnis, who categorized himself as a registered Republican who votes for policy, not party, served as master of ceremonies. Chinnis says he will be voting for Kirschner in November.

Florida’s 16th Congressional District has long been represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, who announced in January that he would retire at the end of his current term after 20 years in Congress.

The district has been redrawn to include all of Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties, as well as portions of Sarasota, Pinellas and Polk counties. Previously, the district included only Manatee County and part of Hillsborough County.

Kirschner, a Democrat and former Sarasota mayor, won the Democratic nomination in August. His Republican opponent, Sydney Gruters—wife of Republican National Committee Chairman and former area state Senator Joe Gruters—won the Republican nomination and had received an endorsement from President Donald Trump before the primary.

On his decision to endorse Kirschner, Kruse said he and the congressional candidate have known each other since they were 13. Referring to Kirschner as a friend, Kruse said he readily offered to support him if he won his party’s primary. 

“I got your back. It doesn’t matter who is on the other side after the primary, I’m supporting you,” Kruse said of the two’s prior conversation.

“Kelly has consistently, for decades, shown himself to be a principled person who looks out for the best interests of everybody else,” said Kruse.

Referencing Kirschner’s decision after college to enlist in the United States Peace Corps, Kruse added, “He did it because he knew that helping other people was how he could contribute to the world and society.”  

Merrie Lynn Parker said that as an 80-year resident of Manatee County, she has always tried to judge candidates based on what they stand for, what their values are, and their capacity to lead.

“Social media puts us in silos and echo chambers,” Parker said, describing the rise in divisive political rhetoric. “Where elected officials who once were looking out for what was best for the people, we now have people who are just wrestling to gain power and to keep power at all costs.”

Parker said that in Kirschner, she recognized maturity, poise, integrity, and intelligence—qualities she believes will make him a statesman and a representative to all the citizens in the district, regardless of their political affiliations.

Brady echoed earlier speakers' concerns about partisan division, noting that the district is Republican-leaning, but said he believes voters across the political spectrum are increasingly dissatisfied with national policies and partisan politics. 

“I really do believe the two extremes are 10-15% on the far-far left and 10-15% on—I’ll call it—‘MAGA.’ But 70-something percent of us, the U.S. voters, are center-left, center, and center-right,” he said, adding that Kirschner would “bring common sense to the U.S. House of Representatives.”

Former Republican Congressman Dan Miller also criticized the direction of the Republican Party and Congress, arguing that lawmakers have allowed spending to grow unchecked and that the party has become increasingly defined by its loyalty to President Trump.

“We don’t believe the Republican Party is the party that we’ve belonged to for so many years—it’s the Trump party. You’re either a Trumper, or you’re not,” Miller said.

Miller said he believes Kirschner would remain “very middle-of-the-road,” adding that he was proud to support him.

In his remarks, Kirschner thanked supporters for the breadth of their support, both politically and for the decades of public service they represented. He spoke of the historical connections woven through the community, saying those connections predate the current political moment and can help build communities that transcend present divisions. He emphasized that, ultimately, “we are all Americans first.”

“I cannot express my level of humility and pride to have all of you here with me. Your voices, the collective wisdom of what you represent, that, at its core, is the essence of what community is,” he said.

Kruse said he has received criticism from some people online who say they believe he should leave the Republican Party after publicly supporting Democratic candidates. He said he has no plans to do so, arguing that his political beliefs remain rooted in what he considers traditional Republican and conservative principles.

“I’d rather sit here inside the party and get it back towards what it’s supposed to be than sit outside the party,” Kruse said, adding that he believes he can influence the party more from within. He said his support for Democratic candidates is intended to provide what he described as a check on the current direction of the Republican Party and, ultimately, bring it back toward the center.