Eddie Speir will remain in open CD 16 contest

Republican congressional candidate Eddie Speir has announced he will stick it out in Florida’s 16th Congressional District, despite a new congressional map.

The Manatee Republican has been campaigning to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Longboat Key Republican. But the new cartography, proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis a week ago, put half of the former Florida’s 16th Congressional District into the new Florida’s 14th Congressional District.

“I’ve made my decision. I’m running in Florida’s 16th Congressional District,” Speir posted on X. “I am disappointed to be losing two plus years of developing relationships in Hillsborough County.”

The new map prompted some speculation about whether he would change to the Tampa-centered seat, where Democrat U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor now seeks re-election in a district where Donald Trump won 54.5% of the vote in the last Presidential Election.

Speir, who ran against Buchanan in a Republican Primary in 2024, also said he considered runs in Florida’s 13th and 17th Congressional Districts, but did not want to challenge incumbents in either seat. He said he had conversations with GOP U.S. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Greg Steube and both plan to run for the same numbered seats under the new map.

All this means Speir will still stay in a Republican Primary where he most notably faces Sydney Gruters, a former New College Foundation leader who boasts Trump’s endorsement and is married to Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters.

“Now, voters have a crystal clear choice. The head of the Republican National Committee Joe Gruters is running his wife, Sydney, in this race against the largest grassroots Republican candidate in Florida’s history. In the Republican Party, this is the most clear contrast in the nation, save the Texas Senatorial race,” Speir said.

“This gives voters a clear choice: America First versus the establishment; grassroots versus special interests. I’ve spent three years building relationships with the people of this district, and I’m committed to fighting for them. I’m on my way to Hardee County right now to begin building relationships with the rest of the district. Let’s get to work!”

CD 16 remains centered around Manatee County under the new map, now includes a large portion of south Pinellas County and eastern Sarasota County, and also extends east to include all of DeSoto and Hardee counties.

Speir also currently faces Ed Pope and John Peters in a GOP Primary. Speir had the most reported cash on hand of any Republican at the end of the first quarter, around $18,000. But that doesn’t count Gruters, who announced more than $100,000 in fundraising on her first day of campaigning in April. She won’t have to file detailed fundraising reports until after June.