Ken Welch and Charlie Crist are the likely front-runners in the St. Petersburg mayoral race.<\/p>\n
Welch is the incumbent and Crist, a former Florida governor, is a career politician with strong name recognition and a million-dollar war chest.<\/p>\n
But four other candidates are making the case why they should be the next person to lead the state’s fifth-largest city. Each has a chance to end up in a November runoff.<\/p>\n
If no candidate wins over 50% of votes in the Aug. 18 primary, the top two vote-getters will head to the Nov. 3 general election. The mayor’s race is technically nonpartisan.<\/p>\n
Here is each candidate’s path to surviving a crowded race and coming out on top.<\/p>\n
Brandi Gabbard flipped a major endorsement<\/p>\n
Two-term City Council member Brandi Gabbard appeals best to progressive and civic-minded residents \u2014 many of whom, like Gabbard, supported Welch in 2021 \u2014 who are fed up with a perceived lack of action from Welch’s administration.<\/p>\n
That shows in her latest endorsement from the Suncoast Sierra Club. Five years ago, the environmental group did not endorse any candidate ahead of the primary election before endorsing Welch for the general.<\/p>\n
Gabbard’s platform speaks to quality-of-life issues that define St. Petersburg: safer streets for walking and biking, transit-focused development and urban agriculture. In contrast with much of her competition, she’s taken a hard line on pursuing a city-run electric utility and severing ties with Duke Energy.<\/p>\n
Low fundraising and name recognition stand in her way. Between the political committee supporting her and individual contributions to her campaign, Gabbard ranks fourth out of six candidatesin money raised with $70,000.<\/p>\n
She spent much of Welch’s first term voting in lockstep with the mayor<\/a>, including on a blockbuster stadium and redevelopment deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. The team pulled out of that deal months later.<\/p>\n Her stance changed after the 2024 hurricanes. Her district is home to the flooded-out neighborhoods of Gandy, Riviera Bay and Barcley Estates. Since then, she’s clashed with Welch on everything from how to react to the state covering up street murals to how to handle next steps in redevelopingTropicana Field.<\/p>\n Jim Large is appealing to Republicans<\/p>\n Former St. Petersburg Fire Chief Jim Large isn’t deterred by the cloud he retired under in January 2024.<\/p>\n Large was accused through an anonymous employee survey of creating a hostile workplace for women and minorities<\/a>. Welch cleared him of<\/a> wrongdoing and Large later made light of the matter, to Welch’s dismay<\/a>. Fire department officials have asked him to give notice before visiting fire stations<\/a> following his frequent visits.<\/p>\n Despite that, Large has a following and it shows in lawn signs and his fundraising totals.<\/p>\n His war chest comes in third behind Welch and Crist with about $150,000 between individual contributions and a political committee. He’sraked in endorsements fromseveral prominent Republicans, including former Mayor Bill Foster and three Pinellas County commissioners.<\/p>\n St. Petersburg is still a majority-Democrat city, but the party’s lead has slimmed in recent years to a 20,000-voter advantage. Republicans come second, with a 10,000-voter edge over those with no party affiliation.<\/p>\n Maria Scruggs may peel off voters<\/p>\n Scruggs is the only candidate to qualify to run for office by collecting more than 1,000 signatures from city residents instead of paying a fee.<\/p>\n She’s the former president of the St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP and hasrun for office multiple times but never won. She’s come out swinging against Welch, dinging him for giving illegal bonuses to city staff for their work on the Rays stadium deal.(Welch later rescinded those bonuses.)<\/p>\n Scruggs has endorsements from several church leaders and is a well-known community member in southern St. Petersburg. Shecould win over Black voters, who account for 15% of the city’s voting population. In past years, local elections have hinged on the Black vote<\/a>.<\/p>\n Records show Scruggs has raised about $28,000.<\/p>\n Kevin Batdorf has neighborhood clout<\/p>\n Kevin Batdorf is a real estate broker, a small business owner and the former president of the Shore Acres Civic Association. He calls himself the “un-politician.”<\/p>\n He led one of the city’s largest neighborhoods through the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton. At least 2,000 homes flooded in Shore Acres. His run for mayor is inspired in no small part by what he said was a lack of preparation ahead of thestorms.<\/p>\n In 2024, Batdorf said Welch “has failed us.”<\/a> This is his first run for public office.<\/p>\n Batdorf is a Republican whose base is likely siding with better-known candidates in Large or Crist. Batdorf has raised $4,505.<\/p>\n Mayor Ken Welch has the incumbent advantage<\/p>\n Five years ago, Welch won the mayor’s race in a landslide with 60% of the vote.<\/p>\n He made history as the city’s first Black mayor. He got an extra year in office after voters approved moving city elections to alignwith state and federal races.<\/p>\n His counterpart, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, faced no organized opposition for her reelection in 2023. Welch instead is facing the toughest battle of his political career.<\/p>\n The police, fire and city worker unions, notably, back Welch<\/a>. So does Castor. He has two out of eight City Council members publicly on his side and is endorsed by Equality Florida.<\/p>\n Welch is on his third political committee. The first was shuttered by the state for not filing necessary paperwork. The second is missing $207,500. The chairperson of the committee accused its treasurer, Yolanda Brown, of misspending that money.<\/p>\n That makes calculating his fundraising total difficult. Between his latest political committee and individual campaign contributions, Welch has raised around $660,000.<\/p>\n Charlie Crist is gaining ground<\/p>\n Crist makes the case that he’s run the state of Florida as governor and can run St. Petersburg, his hometown since he was 3 years old.<\/p>\n His political committee war chestand individual campaign contributions have swelled to over $1.75 million. He’s also flipped an endorsement from state Sen. Darryl Rouson and recently announced support from Gwendolyn Reese, president of the African American Heritage Association.<\/p>\n Crist is touting Republican endorsements, too. He is supported by former Mayor Rick Baker, former Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard and other leaders who carry weight in conservative circles.<\/p>\n Crist started his career as a Republican before running as an independent in the 2010 U.S. Senate race. He has been a registered Democrat since 2012.<\/p>\n \u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n Tampa Bay Times Election Coverage<\/p>\n Know your candidates: 2026 Florida election candidates: Primary voter guide<\/a><\/p>\n Congressional midterms: St. Petersburg and Wauchula are in the same congressional district. We drove it<\/a><\/p>\n Property tax amendment: DeSantis has claims about his tax amendment. Here’s what it actually does.<\/a><\/p>\n State races: Here’s who wants to represent Tampa Bay in Legislature, Cabinet primaries<\/a><\/p>\n Congressional candidates: Who’s running for the US House in Tampa Bay after redistricting?<\/a><\/p>\n