{"id":310532,"date":"2026-06-17T15:32:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/310532\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T15:32:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:32:49","slug":"one-state-senator-two-endorsements-rouson-backs-crist-and-welch-for-st-pete-mayor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/310532\/","title":{"rendered":"One state senator, two endorsements: Rouson backs Crist and Welch for St. Pete mayor"},"content":{"rendered":"

State Sen. Darryl Rouson<\/a> endorsed former Gov. Charlie Crist<\/a> for St. Petersburg mayor just hours after incumbent Ken Welch<\/a> announced Rouson\u2019s endorsement for his reelection campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I have not made my final decision for who I will be voting for mayor, I believe Charlie Crist meets the threshold to lead our city. Let me be clear that I\u2019m not withdrawing my endorsement of my friend Ken Welch, but I believe that both Ken and Charlie should make it out of the primary, and that is why I\u2019m adding an endorsement of Charlie Crist,\u201d Rouson wrote in an email.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch’s term becomes key focus in first mayoral debate\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

While Rouson is not retracting his Welch endorsement, his decision to endorse both leading candidates surprised political observers, with some characterizing the move as a betrayal. However, Rousson has historically supported Welch and Crist; this is simply the first time they have run against each other for the same office.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: Rouson accepts New College teaching appointment, won’t seek House seat<\/a><\/p>\n

Rouson wrote, \u201cI have known Charlie for decades and have seen firsthand his integrity and dedication to public service. I have always supported Charlie in his various elections, and he has always included me, respected the concerns of my constituents, and provided access and responsiveness. He has allowed me a voice by appointing me to transition teams and commissions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout his career, Charlie has demonstrated leadership with compassion and integrity, and has always put people before politics. Those qualities have earned my lifelong respect and admiration, and that is why I believe he too would make an outstanding mayor for our city.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: Mayoral candidate Brandi Gabbard on affordability, Gas Plant District and more<\/a><\/p>\n

In response to Rouson\u2019s announcement, Welch told the Catalyst: \u201cI respect Sen. Rouson and appreciate his friendship. But elections are about choices. I\u2019m proud of the record we\u2019ve built together over the last four years, and I believe the results we\u2019ve delivered for St. Petersburg speak for themselves. I\u2019ll continue focusing on the work, and I\u2019ll let others explain their endorsements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welch\u2019s campaign political action committee Chair Adrienne Bogan added, \u201cWe appreciate Sen. Rouson\u2019s longstanding support for Mayor Ken Welch and his recognition of the results this administration has delivered for the people of St. Petersburg. At the end of the day, this campaign is about the future of St. Petersburg and the record of progress that residents have seen under Mayor Welch\u2019s leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: Mayoral candidate Kevin Batdorf on infrastructure, ‘common-sense’ housing solutions<\/a><\/p>\n

Political consultant Barry Edwards offered a different perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anyone knows Darryl, he has been pretty transparent,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cDarryl doesn\u2019t get involved in these political chess moves. That\u2019s why he\u2019s been so effective in Tallahassee, because he doesn\u2019t question motivations, he questions judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: ‘I’m a career public servant’: Mayoral candidate Jim Large’s pitch to voters<\/a><\/p>\n

Edwards, who has worked with Rouson for more than a decade, suggested that the senator\u2019s decision to throw his hat into both rings is not a sign of duplicity but of even-mindedness. By lending the weight of his reputation to both candidates, Edwards said, Rouson is effectively acknowledging the strengths of the two most prominent contenders while leaving the ultimate decision to voters.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: Mayoral candidate Maria Scruggs on affordability, ‘economic clusters’ and more<\/a><\/p>\n

Candidate choice could become especially important in this election cycle. Unlike most municipal elections, St. Petersburg\u2019s mayoral race will coincide with a gubernatorial election, a factor Edwards said could significantly increase turnout.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalf the people who are going to vote have never voted in a municipal election,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As for whom Rouson will ultimately support in the general election, Edwards said the senator\u2019s record suggests he will make his intentions known before casting his ballot.<\/p>\n

This content provided in partnership with\u00a0StPeteCatalyst.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"State Sen. Darryl Rouson endorsed former Gov. Charlie Crist for St. Petersburg mayor just hours after incumbent Ken…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310533,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-310532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}