Manatee County commissioner makes election switch in effort to remove rival from office
After a record campaign fundraising haul, a Manatee County commissioner is switching races in an effort to bump a political rival out of office.
In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge confirmed a candidacy switch from District 3 to the District 7 seat held by Commissioner George Kruse. As of Friday afternoon, the Supervisor of Elections website shows that Van Ostenbridge has officially switched his campaign to the countywide position, carrying over a massive war chest of campaign funds.
“For me, it boiled down to this — Manatee County Republicans deserve a truly conservative representative who believes in the free market; who will never apologize to liberals and who will protect and defend every God-given Constitutional right,” Van Ostenbridge said in a statement Friday afternoon.
According to campaign finance records, Van Ostenbridge has raised over $214,000. Kruse has raised about $37,000.
“I have been blessed with the resources and support to run a countywide campaign, so I’m doing it,” Van Ostenbridge said, who shattered a local campaign finance record by raising $170,000 in one month last year.
While both candidates campaigned on similar conservative platforms and skated to victory in the 2020 general election, Van Ostenbridge and Kruse have found themselves on the opposite side of several controversial issues, including reduced wetland buffers, an effort to bring back public comment via call-in and a parking garage on Anna Maria Island.
Van Ostenbridge to run against Kruse
In a news release provided to the Bradenton Herald, Van Ostenbridge labeled Kruse “a liberal” and criticized his voting record.
“I am a staunch Trump conservative. George Kruse thinks government knows best,” Van Ostenbridge said. “I know the people know best.”
Van Ostenbridge, who first joined the Board of County Commissioners in 2020, represents District 3, which includes parts of downtown, West Bradenton, Cortez and Anna Maria Island. The District 7 seat is one of two positions on the board that represent all of Manatee County.
Reached for comment Friday afternoon, Kruse suggested that special interests want him off the board because he does not vote in line with other board members. Kruse, who also joined the board in 2020, previously vowed to leave office after serving two four-year terms.
“They want me off the board because I think independently,” said Kruse, who has been on the losing side of several 6-1 votes. “I’m a local politician who represents 430,000 people in Manatee County regardless of their political affiliation and I try to do that with common-sense policy ideas.”
April Culbreath, the chair of Manatee County’s Republican Party, was also running for the District 7 seat. By Friday afternoon, she also designated her campaign to run for Van Ostenbridge’s District 3 seat. She has raised about $20,000, according to campaign finance records.
Because both candidates are running as Republicans, Kruse and Van Ostenbridge will face off in the Aug. 20 primary election. Under Florida law, voting in that race will be limited to registered Republicans in Manatee County.
The winner will advance to the general election, facing the winner of the Democratic primary election for the District 7 countywide seat.
