U.S. House · Florida's 18th District
Curtis Gibson
CandidateD
- Race
- U.S. House · Florida's 18th District
- Result
- Scott Franklin, projected winner
- Opponents
- Scott Franklin (R); Deva Simmons (IND)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did0 statements · 0 votes
Curtis Gibson, a Democratic commercial property manager and former Lake Wales city commissioner, lost the November 3, 2026 election for Florida's 18th Congressional District to incumbent Scott Franklin. He describes his earlier working jobs and calls himself a working-class voice and not a career politician.[1][2]
On the ballotU.S. House · 18
2026-11-03
| Scott Franklin R | incumbent |
| Curtis Gibson D | challenger |
| Deva Simmons IND | challenger |
Biography
Curtis Gibson, a Democratic commercial property manager and former Lake Wales city commissioner, lost the November 3, 2026 election for Florida's 18th Congressional District to incumbent Scott Franklin. He describes his earlier working jobs and calls himself a working-class voice and not a career politician.[1][2]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Gibson graduated from Lake Wales High School, earned an associate degree from Bryant & Stratton College in 2017, and received a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary business studies from Kaiser University in 2021.[2] He describes his past jobs as school board janitor, U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, Amazon Air employee and professional wrestler.[2] He served as a Lake Wales City Commissioner from 2017 to 2021.[2]
Gibson works as a commercial property and mall manager, according to his survey responses, which cite experience in local business growth and lease negotiations.[2] He says he lives in Polk County with his wife, Danielle, their five children and a foster child.[2] He advanced to the general election without a primary after the August 18, 2026 Democratic primary was canceled.[2] He received 46.7% of the vote to Scott Franklin's 50.3%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]
In their own words
Priorities
- Says he will champion policies that protect labor, lower the cost of living, and support working families, citing his own work history as a janitor, mail carrier, and warehouse employee.[3]
- Says he wants to drive economic revitalization and small business growth in the district using his property-management experience.[3]
- Emphasizes public accountability and transparency in government, drawing on his experience as a city commissioner.[3]
Campaign money$12K raised · 20% from individuals · FEC through 2026-06-30
Totals this cycle
Bars share one scale (raised = full). Cash on hand can include money carried over from earlier cycles.
Who gave
- Individuals $2,460
- Own money & loans $9,748
Largest committee contributions
No direct contributions from PACs or other committees in the FEC’s bulk data.
Direct contributions only; outside spending is not included. Individual donors are itemized in the FEC’s receipts. All itemized receipts ↗ FEC filing ↗
Profile: /people/curtis-gibson
Compare all 3 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.U.S. House · Florida's 18th District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 2.Curtis Gibson · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
- 3.Curtis Gibson · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words