St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Charlie Crist has surpassed more than $2 million raised, according to the most recent campaign finance reports for campaigns and their affiliated political committees.

No other candidate in the race has even approached seven figures, and Crist’s remaining cash on hand between his two accounts far exceeds that of any other candidate in the race.

Crist raised more than $150,000 to his St. Pete Shines political committee over the most recent period covering Aug. 1-13, bringing his total committee fundraising to nearly $1.9 million. He raised another nearly $17,000 to his campaign account, bringing that total to more than $132,000. Combined, Crist has now raised more than $2 million.

His cash on hand total between accounts sits at more than $366,000.

That’s after his committee spent nearly $500,000 during the most recent reporting period, including $340,000 to Waterfront Strategies for media production, another $19,500 for a media buy, and three rounds of direct mail totaling more than $35,000. Crist’s committee also spent more than $17,000 on social media advertising, other digital advertising and text message blasts.

The spending in the final days before Tuesday’s Primary highlights how a funding disparity can potentially shape a race.

While Crist was dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars on voter outreach, the other candidates, including incumbent Mayor Ken Welch, are limited in their own outreach.

Welch raised just over $49,000 to his committee, St. Petersburg Progress, in the most recent one-week reporting period. Welch’s campaign raised less than $7,000, bringing its total to date to nearly $87,000. Combined, Welch has raised nearly $493,000, less than a quarter what Crist has raised.

Perhaps more impactful, Welch spent nearly $50,000 from his committee in the most recent period and more than $8,000 from his campaign, a little more than 10% of what Crist spent.

On the committee side, Welch spent $40,000 on digital advertising, with the rest going toward consulting services and credit card fees. Committee consulting fees include $7,500 to Spotlight Strategies for finance work, a firm run by Democratic fundraiser Samantha Pollara, and nearly $1,900 for community outreach consulting with Unique Agenda Consulting, which is run by Pinellas County Commissioner Rene Flowers.

Welch’s campaign spent a little more than $6,000 on communication consulting, with MDW Communications run by Democratic consultant Michael Worley. It also matched the nearly $1,900 fee to Flowers’ firm.

Welch is left with less than $56,000 on hand. Should he advance to a runoff in the November General Election against Crist, Welch would be grossly underfunded right out of the gate in that hypothetical matchup.

The rest of the mayoral field isn’t doing much better.

St. Pete City Council Member Brandi Gabbard, who is polling within striking distance of Welch, raised just under $6,000 to her campaign, and another $5,000 to her affiliated political committee, Forward Together PC, for a combined total of just under $11,000. To date, Gabbard’s PC has raised a little over $28,000, while her campaign has brought in nearly $54,000.

She didn’t spend much in the most recent period, with less than $900 spent from her campaign and less than $5,000 from her committee. A little over $3,000 of her committee expenses went toward texting service, with another $1,000 donated to her campaign.

Her campaign spent $139 on advertising with Watermark, a pro-LGBTQ+ publication, and $660 on video production, likely for social media videos.

Gabbard’s sole donation to her committee during the period came from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a check likely cut due to Gabbard’s stance on creating a public utility. She has publicly declared herself the “Dump Duke candidate,” signaling at least tacit support for ending the city’s relationship with Duke Energy and instead establishing a municipal utility.

But while Gabbard’s campaign finance activity hasn’t afforded her the luxury of robust advertising, she’s been getting some outside help from the Star PAC, the political funding arm of the Suncoast Tampa Association of REALTORS. The group dropped nearly $5,000 on Aug. 4 on advertising on Gabbard’s behalf, and another approximately $43,000 on three ad buys in July.

Former St. Pete Fire Chief Jim Large’s reports had not yet been posted as of 4 p.m. Neither had those for Maria Scruggs. Kevin Batdorf didn’t raise any funds in the latest period, and has only raised a little over $4,500 since launching his bid.

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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.