Curtis Gibson
Curtis Gibson is a lifelong Lake Wales resident, former Lake Wales city commissioner, former mall manager and small-business owner; he ran for Lake Wales mayor in 2022 and 2025. He entered the CD 18 race against Rep. Scott Franklin and is listed by Ballotpedia as the Democratic nominee advancing from the Aug. 18, 2026 primary. His campaign slogan is 'The Heartland's Voice.'
How they got on the ballot: Democratic nominee per Ballotpedia; an NBC News results page for the Aug 18, 2026 primary showed him well ahead of Tiffanie Luong (percentages not captured)
Campaign finance (FEC filings through 09/30/2026): raised $13,785, spent $10,756, cash on hand $1,577; $4,037 from individual donors, $9,748 from the candidate. FEC filings ↗
Sources last checked 2026-09-18. Report an error ↗
Positions on the major issues
Compare with opponents →Each entry describes what the candidate has said or done, and what they say they will do, in neutral terms with sources. The chip shows how that relates to the statement voters rate in the matching tool.
Veterans Strongly agrees· stated position
Would cut red tape so Heartland veterans can get timely local care.
"fight to cut through the red tape and make sure veterans in the Heartland can access timely, local medical care"
No public position found on 16 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Taxes & spending, Housing affordability, Immigration, Abortion, Guns, Health care, Social Security & Medicare, Education & school choice, Environment & water, Elections & voting, Crime & policing, Gender identity laws, Energy & utilities, Tariffs & trade, Ukraine, Trump administration. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Positions on issues outside this office's scope (2)
Property taxes Leans agree· stated position
Gibson lists 'Property Tax Relief' as one of three headline priorities on his campaign site; the mechanism and whether he supports eliminating homestead taxes were not specified.
Property insurance Strongly agrees· stated position
Would push for a federal reinsurance backstop to stabilize the property-insurance market.
"push for a federal reinsurance backstop to help stabilize the market, lower risk"
Other issues this candidate has raised
- Property insurance stability — One of three headline campaign priorities; specifics not captured.
- Property tax relief — One of three headline campaign priorities; specifics not captured.
- Veterans' health-care access — Pledges to cut red tape facing returning veterans.
- Middle-class cost of living — Campaign says he 'knows the weight of making payroll, the cost of groceries' as a former small-business owner and mall manager.