Sydney Gruters, a former executive director of the New College of Florida Foundation, is the Republican nominee for the open 16th congressional district seat in Florida in 2026 against Democrat Kelly Kirschner.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
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Biography & Campaign Analysis
2026 race
Sydney Gruters, a former executive director of the New College of Florida Foundation, is the Republican nominee for Florida's 16th congressional district in 2026.
The seat is open because Republican incumbent Vern Buchanan, re-elected with 59.5% of the vote in 2024, announced on January 27, 2026, that he would not run for re-election.
Gruters, the wife of state senator and Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters, won the Republican primary with 63.4% of the vote, defeating former New College of Florida trustee Eddie Speir (21.3%) and businessman Ed Pope (15.3%).
In the general election on November 3, 2026, she faces Democrat Kelly Kirschner, a former mayor of Sarasota, with U.S. Air Force veteran Mark Davis declared as an independent.