St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch was outraised by three candidates vying to oust him in the latest round of mayoral campaign finance filings.

The new reports cover only money raised via official campaign accounts, not through political committees. Welch’s campaign account raised nearly $23,000 from April 1 through June 12, putting him behind former Gov. Charlie Crist, St. Petersburg City Council Member Brandi Gabbard and former St. Petersburg Fire Chief Jim Large.

Crist led the field with nearly $71,000 raised via his candidate account. Gabbard reported just over $32,000, including a $5,000 candidate loan, while Large raised just over $29,000. Welch did outraise the two long-shot candidates in the race, with Maria Scruggs reporting just under $1,200 and Kevin Batdorf reporting just under $2,700 during the period.

Welch also spent more than he raised during the period. His campaign reported just over $29,000 in spending, leaving the account with about $19,000 on hand. Welch’s political committee, St. Petersburg Progress, also remains a major part of his re-election operation. The committee reported about $114,000 raised in its most recent filing and about $301,000 since launching, enough to keep Welch ahead of Gabbard and Large overall but still far behind Crist’s fundraising operation.

Crist’s $71,000 total in the latest report more than tripled Welch’s campaign account haul and more than doubled Gabbard’s total for the period. Crist also spent lightly compared to his haul, reporting about $15,500 in expenses and ending the period with more than $55,000 on hand in his campaign account. 

Crist’s political committee, St. Pete Shines, has shown strong fundraising since its inception, giving him a clear money advantage in the race overall. The committee raised just over $282,500 from April through May and has brought in nearly $1.5 million since launching.

The first real glimpse at Gabbard’s fundraising shows that the City Council member has built momentum behind her campaign. She reported just over $4,000 through the first quarter before her campaign formally kicked off in April, but that number surged to $32,000 in the latest report, covering activity from April 1 through June 12.

Even without the $5,000 loan, Gabbard still outraised Welch with over $27,000 in donations. She spent nearly $19,000 during the period, leaving her with roughly $17,000 on hand. Gabbard’s fundraising picture is centered on her campaign account, rather than the Forward Together PC that currently has about $3,000 on hand.

Large also outpaced Welch in new direct campaign fundraising. His filing showed just over $29,000 raised and over $19,000 spent, leaving him with just over $65,000 on hand. That leaves him with even more money than Crist’s campaign account. However, Large’s account is boosted by a $30,000 candidate contribution made in the first quarter.

Large also has political committee support through A Better Burg, which raised $13,500 in the most recent reporting period, bringing its total raised to just over $50,500. The committee has spent nearly $10,000, leaving about $40,000 on hand in that account.

Scruggs and Batdorf remain far outside the race’s top financial tier. Scruggs reported raising just over $1,000 and spending over $3,000, leaving her campaign with less than $900 on hand. Batdorf raised under $3,000 and spent just under $4,000, leaving around $100 remaining in his account.

The candidates have recently battled during a series of debates and forums hosted by St. Petersburg community groups. They will meet again on stage this Wednesday for a forum sponsored by the Stronger Together St. Pete Foundation.

The Primary is Aug. 18. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to a Nov. 3 runoff.

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Ed. Note: Michelle Todd Schorsch is the Chair of St. Pete Shines, a political committee backing Crist for St. Petersburg Mayor. Todd Schorsch is married to Peter Schorsch, the publisher of Florida Politics.