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5d ago

Charlie Crist Enters St. Petersburg Mayor’s Race With Cash Edge Over Ken Welch

Early polling shows Crist slightly ahead in a crowded, nonpartisan field with many voters undecided before the August primary.

FILE - Florida gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., speaks before President Joe Biden at a campaign rally for to support Crist and Senate candidate Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., at Florida Memorial University, Nov. 1, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
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Overview

  • Crist, who filed his paperwork at City Hall on Monday, launched a high-profile challenge to incumbent Mayor Ken Welch in the officially nonpartisan contest.
  • His affiliated committee, St. Pete Shines, reported more than $475,000 raised in the first quarter and about $1.1 million cash on hand, while Welch entered April with roughly $193,000.
  • A late-March survey put Crist at 23% to Welch’s 19% with 42% undecided, and Crist cites internal polling that shows him up by five points, signaling a volatile race.
  • Crist is centering his bid on leadership and stalled projects, faulting Welch over collapsed talks tied to the Tampa Bay Rays and the Historic Gas Plant District and urging a voter say on a $600 million stormwater bond.
  • The field includes Brandi Gabbard, Kevin Batdorf, former Fire Chief Jim Large, Maria Scruggs, and Paul Congemi, yet observers expect the contest to hinge on Crist versus Welch and whether either tops 50% in August to avoid a November runoff.