Schwarz Wins Bradenton Ward 3 Council Seat
Thomas Schwarz defeated incumbent Kemp Schuessler, while Lisa Gonzalez Moore won the Ward 4 council race over Keith Green.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in City Hall
Live Poll
Do you trust your local city council to act in Bradenton's best interests?
Thomas Schwarz defeated incumbent Kemp Schuessler in the Bradenton City Council Ward 3 election, taking almost 51% of the vote to Schuessler's around 49%. In Ward 4, Lisa Gonzalez Moore won nearly 56% of the vote over Keith Green's around 44%.
Why it matters
The results change the membership of the Bradenton City Council, with Schwarz unseating an incumbent in a close contest. Both races were nonpartisan, so the outcomes reflect local voter preferences rather than party alignment.
Ward 3 was decided by a margin of roughly two percentage points, while Ward 4 produced a roughly 12-point spread between Moore and Green. The figures are unofficial returns from the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections and have not yet been certified.
The players
Thomas Schwarz
Schwarz is a longtime Bradenton resident and the winning candidate in the Ward 3 council race, having graduated from Manatee High School and earned a degree from the University of South Florida.
Kemp Schuessler
Schuessler is the incumbent Bradenton City Council member who lost the Ward 3 race to Thomas Schwarz.
Lisa Gonzalez Moore
Moore is a Ward 4 council candidate who grew up in Tampa and won the Bradenton City Council seat over Keith Green.
The details
Schwarz, a Bradenton resident for over two decades, graduated from Manatee High School and earned a degree in Professional and Technical Communication from the University of South Florida. Ward 3 covers parts of downtown Bradenton, Wares Creek and the Village of the Arts, while Ward 4 covers parts of downtown Bradenton, Braden River and East Bradenton.
Timeline
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Bradenton City Council Ward 3 and Ward 4 elections held.
City Hall Context
The Ward 3 and Ward 4 results follow the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections' standard practice of posting unofficial returns before certification. Until the county certifies the tallies, the outcomes remain provisional.
Bradenton residents in Wards 3 and 4 will be represented by the newly elected council members once results are certified and the terms begin. Voters in those wards should expect the new members to take up local ordinances and budget decisions affecting their neighborhoods.
The takeaway
Local council races can be decided by narrow margins, so each vote carries real weight in determining who represents a neighborhood. Residents who want to follow the final tallies can check the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website once results are certified.
Further reading
For more on local government decisions, see City Hall coverage of Bradenton.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Bradenton Herald.
Live Poll
Do you trust your local city council to act in Bradenton's best interests?
