{"id":318810,"date":"2026-06-25T00:25:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T00:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/318810\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T00:25:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T00:25:35","slug":"league-of-women-voters-rebuts-false-winner-claim-tied-to-st-petersburg-mayoral-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/318810\/","title":{"rendered":"League of Women Voters rebuts false \u2018winner\u2019 claim tied to St. Petersburg mayoral forum"},"content":{"rendered":"

The League clarified that its forums are intended to give voters a side-by-side look at candidates\u2019 platforms, not to endorse contenders.<\/p>\n

The League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area (LWVSPA<\/a>) is shooting down claims that the group declared a winner in the mayoral debate last week, despite comments to the contrary by a \u201cthird party.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an email to candidates, the LWVSPA candidate forum team said \u201ca false report that LWVSPA had declared a \u2018winner\u2019 of the forum and released an evaluation of candidates was briefly published by a third party then taken down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve issued a statement on our social channels to reiterate that the League does not publish any evaluation of candidate forums to avoid any further misinformation,\u201d Community Centered Development co-Chair Kris Robinson wrote in the email.<\/p>\n

The social media post<\/a> reiterated the message to the public, but did not elaborate on the matter. Robinson declined further comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cReminder: The League of Women Voters does not evaluate our Forums, or publish \u2018winners\u2019 of Forums. We encourage voters to vote their values. Our Forums give voters nonpartisan information about candidate platforms so that each voter can do precisely that for themselves. Any reporting or claim that a winner was declared for one of our Forums is false.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The statement did not identify the third party that published the report, nor did it specify which candidates were involved. The post may be referencing a post published on Cityverse<\/a> declaring Mayor Ken Welch<\/a> the winner of the forum that has since been taken down<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The clarification comes as local candidates continue appearing at voter forums hosted by civic groups ahead of this year\u2019s St. Petersburg elections<\/a>. The League clarified that its forums<\/a> are intended to give voters a side-by-side look at candidates\u2019 platforms, not to endorse contenders.<\/p>\n

While candidate forums can generate sharp exchanges, campaign spin and competing interpretations of who performed well, the League said any suggestion that it formally picked a winner is inaccurate.<\/p>\n

The group encouraged voters to make their own judgments based on the candidates\u2019 answers and platforms.<\/p>\n

The statement comes just hours before Welch and the rest of the mayoral field return to the spotlight at the Residents of West St. Pete Mayoral Forum, scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the President Barack Obama Library<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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