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Mayoral election in St. Petersburg, Florida (2021)
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| 2021 St. Petersburg elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: June 18, 2021 |
| Primary election: August 24, 2021 General election: November 2, 2021 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor |
| Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2021 |
Ken Welch defeated Robert Blackmon 60% to 40% to win the general election for mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida on November 2, 2021. Incumbent Mayor Rick Kriseman (D) did not run for re-election due to term limits.[1]
Welch served as a Pinellas County Commissioner from 2000 to 2020, and Blackmon had served on the St. Petersburg City Council since 2020.[2][3] Though the race was officially nonpartisan, Welch was a registered Democrat and Blackmon was a registered Republican.[4][5]
St. Petersburg was one of seventeen of the 100 largest cities to hold general elections for mayor on Nov. 2, 2021. Heading into the election, 63 of the 100 largest cities' mayors were Democrats, 26 were Republicans, 10 were either nonpartisan or independent, and one mayor's affiliation was unknown. Following the Nov. 2 election, no mayoral offices changed partisan control. To read more about mayoral elections in 2021, click here.
A central issue in the race was the redevelopment of Tropicana Field and the question of whether the location would continue to be the home stadium of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. In an Oct. 11 debate, Welch said: "I absolutely think we can keep the Rays in St. Peterburg. Secondary, if we can't keep them certainly Tampa Bay is the next option." He went on to say that: "I have said that it [baseball] is secondary. [...] The priority is the jobs and equitable development and it has to be a fair deal to the City of St. Pete and the taxpayers." Blackmon said: "I still hold out hope that we can have the Rays have a stadium [in St. Petersburg]." He also said: "I need to look at the harsh realities that are constantly evolving on the site. That site is the future of economic development for our city. It is where we can put hotel space. It is where we can put office space."[6]
In an article about Welch’s campaign, the Tampa Bay Times quoted Cesar Fernandez, Kriseman’s 2013 campaign manager, as saying: “The advantage Ken Welch has is people love living in St. Pete. All of these things make it hard for a Blackmon to say, ‘We had it wrong. We need change.’” In an article about Blackmon’s campaign, the Times wrote: “Barry Edwards, a local political strategist informally advising the Blackmon campaign, said the path for a Republican is to run as a change agent and disruptor against a long-time elected official close to the current administration.”[4] [5]
Blackmon and Welch were the two top vote-getters in the August 24, 2021, primary with 28.6% and 39.1% of the vote, respectively. Since no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, Blackmon and Welch advanced to the November 2 general election. Seven other candidates ran against Blackmon and Welch in the primary. Of these candidates, Darden Rice, who received 16.5% of the vote, was the only one to poll over 10%. Rice endorsed Welch in the general election.[7]
This was the first open race for mayor of St. Petersburg since 2009.[8] The last Republican to serve as mayor of St. Petersburg was Bill Foster from 2010 to 2014.[9] Kriseman defeated Foster in the 2013 mayoral election, and was subsequently re-elected in 2017.
Click on candidate names below to view their key messages:
Robert Blackmon |
Kenneth Welch |
Candidates and results
General election
General election for Mayor of St. Petersburg
Kenneth Welch defeated Robert G. Blackmon in the general election for Mayor of St. Petersburg on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kenneth Welch (Nonpartisan) | 60.5 | 40,579 | |
| Robert G. Blackmon (Nonpartisan) | 39.5 | 26,509 | ||
| Total votes: 67,088 | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of St. Petersburg
The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of St. Petersburg on August 24, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kenneth Welch (Nonpartisan) | 39.4 | 21,827 | |
| ✔ | Robert G. Blackmon (Nonpartisan) | 28.3 | 15,659 | |
| Darden Rice (Nonpartisan) | 16.6 | 9,189 | ||
| Wengay Newton (Nonpartisan) | 7.5 | 4,128 | ||
| Peter Boland (Nonpartisan) | 6.2 | 3,424 | ||
| Michael Ingram (Nonpartisan) | 0.8 | 460 | ||
| Marcile Powers (Nonpartisan) | 0.7 | 404 | ||
| Torry Nelson (Nonpartisan) | 0.4 | 212 | ||
| Michael Levinson (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 9 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 88 | ||
| Total votes: 55,400 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[10]
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- St. Petersburg City Council (Assumed office: 2020)
Biography: Blackmon received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida State University in 2011. Prior to his political service, he worked as a founding partner for Blackmon Properties from 2011 to 2021 and as the owner and manager of some commercial and real estate properties in St. Petersburg.
Show sources
Sources: Robert Blackmon's campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 15, 2021; The Weekly Challenger, "Candidate Robert Blackmon," July 9, 2021; Bay News 9, "Interview: St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Robert Blackmon," September 14, 2021; St. Petersburg, "District 1: Robert Blackmon," accessed September 15, 2021
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of St. Petersburg in 2021.
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Pinellas County Commission (2000-2020)
Biography: Welch received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of South Florida in 1985 and a master’s in finance from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Prior to his political service, he worked as an accountant for Progress Energy from 1987 to 2001, and as an associate vice president of business services at St. Petersburg College from 2006 to 2011.
Show sources
Sources: Ken Welch's campaign website, "Principled Progress," accessed September 15, 2021; Ken Welch's campaign website, "Accomplishments," accessed September 15, 2021; Tampa Bay Times, "In mayoral run, Ken Welch wants St. Petersburg to achieve ‘inclusive progress’," June 19, 2021; Bay News 9, "Interview: St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Ken Welch," September 4, 2021; LinkedIn, "Ken Welch," accessed September 15, 2021
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of St. Petersburg in 2021.
Campaign finance
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the St. Petersburg City Clerk.
Noteworthy endorsements
This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.
Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.
| Nonpartisan general election endorsements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Blackmon | Welch | ||||
| Newspapers and editorials | ||||||
| Tampa Bay Times[11] | ✔ | |||||
| Elected officials | ||||||
| U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.)[12] | ✔ | |||||
| U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.)[13] | ✔ | |||||
| State Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book (D)[14] | ✔ | |||||
| State Rep. Jeff Brandes (R)[15] | ✔ | |||||
| State Rep. Janet Cruz (D)[12] | ✔ | |||||
| State Rep. Nick DiCeglie (R)[16] | ✔ | |||||
| State Rep. Michele Rayner (D)[17] | ✔ | |||||
| State Sen. Darryl Rouson (D)[18] | ✔ | |||||
| State House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R)[16] | ✔ | |||||
| State Rep. Jackie Toledo (R)[16] | ✔ | |||||
| Pinellas County Commissioner René Flowers (D)[13] | ✔ | |||||
| Pinellas County Commissioner Pat Gerard (D)[13] | ✔ | |||||
| Pinellas County Commissioner Charlie Justice (D)[13] | ✔ | |||||
| Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long (D)[13] | ✔ | |||||
| Pinellas County Commissioner Kathleen Peters (R)[15] | ✔ | |||||
| Pinellas County Commissioner Karen Seel (R)[13] | ✔ | |||||
| Pinellas County Clerk Ken Burke (R)[13] | ✔ | |||||
| Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri (R)[13] | ✔ | |||||
| St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman (D)[19] | ✔ | |||||
| St. Petersburg City Councilor Deborah Figgs-Sanders[13] | ✔ | |||||
| St. Petersburg City Councilor Amy Foster[13] | ✔ | |||||
| St. Petersburg City Councilor Brandi Gabbard[20] | ✔ | |||||
| St. Petersburg City Councilor Lisa Wheeler-Bowman[13] | ✔ | |||||
| Individuals | ||||||
| Frmr. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker[15] | ✔ | |||||
| Frmr. St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster[21] | ✔ | |||||
| Frmr. candidate for Mayor of St. Petersburg Darden Rice[7] | ✔ | |||||
| Frmr. St. Petersburg Mayor Bob Ulrich[15] | ✔ | |||||
Timeline
2021
Campaign advertisements
This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.
Robert Blackmon
Supporting Blackmon
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Kenneth Welch
Supporting Welch
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Debates and forums
Tampa Bay Times and Spectrum Bay News 9 mayoral debate (October 19, 2021)
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WFLA and Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce mayoral debate (October 11, 2021)
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St. Petersburg Arts Alliance mayoral debate (October 5, 2021)
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WEDU PBS candidate conversation (October 1, 2021)
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Campaign themes
- See also: Campaign themes
Robert Blackmon
Campaign website
Blackmon’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
I’m Robert Blackmon, and I think St. Petersburg needs a fresh start and a new face leading our city as mayor. I’m a small business owner, and I’ve served as a City Council member. With experience both in the private sector and as an elected official, I know we can make local government work to better serve our community. I’m not a career politician, and I want to make St. Pete a shining city on a hill.
We need to have a clear vision for the Trop redevelopment. The Rays are a community partner, and I am willing to negotiate a deal with them. I am the only candidate who has business experience, and I have the skills necessary to work with developers and the Rays to redevelop the site to benefit the entire community. I will ensure our small businesses and minority communities have a seat at the table as well. I support using bed tax money for infrastructure for a new stadium at the Trop site, and I will fight to get the best deal for the taxpayers. We can’t be the region that loses a Major League Baseball team our community worked decades to get.
I will protect our neighborhoods from excessive redevelopment so we can preserve the character of our communities. St. Pete has wonderful neighborhoods throughout the city with their own styles and histories. We should maintain the distinctive qualities of those neighborhoods while supporting reasonable development.
Clean water is crucial to our economy and to the future of St. Petersburg. I will not fall asleep at the wheel. The current administration has worked to improve our wastewater systems, but there is more to be done. I will protect our waterfronts, and I will ensure we have the infrastructure and the oversight needed to avoid dumping sewage into the bay.
Last year, violent crime was up 11.2%. We need to break the cycle of poverty in our most disadvantaged communities. We need to provide mentors and wrap-around services to our most vulnerable students so that we can build a brighter future with less crime and reduce the school-to-prison pipeline.
Transparency and accountability are keys to successfully running a city and to re-establishing public confidence in the Mayor’s Office. I will work with City Council to repair the broken relationship between Council and the Mayor’s Office. I will produce public records in a timely manner, and I will tell the truth to residents who deserve nothing less. I will be accountable with your tax dollars. I’ll work to repair our relationship with the Governor’s Office and the Legislature, and I will end the partisan rhetoric so we can work more collaboratively with state officials to bring more resources to St. Petersburg. [22] |
” |
| —Robert Blackmon’s campaign website (2021)[23] | ||
Kenneth Welch
Campaign website
Welch’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Ken’s agenda for Principled Progress will be based on the guiding principles that informed his public service and ensured the most accountable and responsive government. He calls them the Six I’s:
Ken is an experienced business leader who will promote inclusive and thoughtful economic development that lifts up and improves the quality of life for every neighborhood in St. Petersburg. This includes public-private partnerships and initiatives focused on improved transportation, job-training, education, incubators and mentorships and more effectively using the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area. Development in and of itself is not progress, Ken recognizes, and Inclusive Progress means that everyone in our community feels invested in our progress, not displaced by it. Every decision must be aimed at improving the quality of life in St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg faces ever-growing challenges from sea level rise that our next leader must tackle head-on. As Mayor, Ken will ensure that St. Petersburg continues its firm commitment to sustainability and that resiliency will drive every decision about the community’s infrastructure and growth.
Ken understands that the people driving St. Petersburg’s economy and quality of life – mom and pop entrepreneurs, contractors, artists, teachers, and first responders – must not be priced out of St. Petersburg’s housing market. Smart growth and preserving what makes St. Pete great, requires innovative and inclusive public-private collaborations.
Ken believes strong leadership is inclusive and collaborative leadership. St. Petersburg does not need rigid, my-way-or-the-highway leadership. Rather, it needs a mayor who strives for consensus building and public buy-in. He will be a mayor to serve and listen to every corner of the city.
Ken understands that too many St. Petersburg residents are concerned about neighborhood safety — he will work to change that. A strong supporter of accountable law enforcement, he has and will continue to support competitive pay and benefits for officers and funding for essential infrastructure.
As a member and/or chair of multiple transportation agencies and committees, Ken has helped to shape improvements to our transportation system — from Sunrunner Bus Rapid Transit, to the Gateway Express, local roads and the Pinellas Trail. Providing diverse transportation options, including bikes and safe pedestrians pathways, will be a priority under the Welch administration. [22] |
” |
| —Ken Welch’s campaign website (2021)[24] | ||
Mayoral partisanship
Mayoral elections were held in 28 of the 100 largest U.S. cities in 2021. Once mayors elected in 2021 assumed office, the mayors of 64 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party.
The following top-100 mayoral offices changed partisan control in 2021:
- Mayor John J. Lee of North Las Vegas, Nevada, announced that he was changing his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican on April 6, 2021.[25]
- David Bronson (R) was elected as mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, on May 11, 2021. He assumed office on July 1, 2021, replacing nonpartisan Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson.
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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Candidate survey
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Past elections
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2017.
2017
- ☑ Rick Kriseman
(i)
- ☐ Rick Baker
About the city
- See also: St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida. As of 2020, its population was 258,308.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of St. Petersburg uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body while the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[26]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for St. Petersburg, Florida | ||
|---|---|---|
| St. Petersburg | Florida | |
| Population | 258,308 | 21,538,187 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 61 | 53,653 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 69% | 71.6% |
| Black/African American | 21.3% | 15.9% |
| Asian | 3.5% | 2.8% |
| Native American | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.1% |
| Other (single race) | N/A | 3.3% |
| Multiple | 4.6% | 6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 8.4% | 25.8% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 92.7% | 88.5% |
| College graduation rate | 37.1% | 30.5% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $60,798 | $57,703 |
| Persons below poverty level | 11.6% | 13.3% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
| St. Petersburg, Florida | Florida | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "St. Petersburg’s election season begins. So who’s running?," January 22, 2021
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Ken Welch," accessed September 15, 2021
- ↑ St. Petersburg, "District 1: Robert Blackmon," accessed September 15, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tampa Bay Times, "How Robert Blackmon can win the St. Petersburg mayor’s race," September 14, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tampa Bay Times, "How Ken Welch can win the St. Petersburg mayor’s race," September 14, 2021
- ↑ WFLA on Facebook, "St. Pete mayoral debate between Ken Welch, Robert Blackmon," October 11, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Florida Politics, "Darden Rice endorses Ken Welch to be St. Pete’s next Mayor," September 8, 2021
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "St. Petersburg mayor’s race: It’s now between Ken Welch and Robert Blackmon," August 24, 2021
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Former Mayor Bill Foster backs Ken Welch in St. Pete mayoral race," July 23, 2021
- ↑ In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Who should be St. Petersburg’s next mayor? We have an answer," July 29, 2021
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Florida Politics, "Kathy Castor, Janet Cruz endorse Ken Welch," September 14, 2021
- ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 Ken Welch's 2021 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed July 20, 2021
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Florida Politics, "Darryl Rouson endorses Ken Welch for St. Pete Mayor," September 22, 2021
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Robert Blackmon's 2021 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed July 20, 2021
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Florida Politics, "Chris Sprowls endorses Robert Blackmon for St. Pete Mayor," September 15, 2021
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Darryl Rouson endorses Ken Welch for St. Pete Mayor," September 21, 2021
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Florida Politics, "Here are all the major endorsements in the 2021 St. Petersburg primary election so far," August 12, 2021
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Kriseman endorses Ken Welch for St. Petersburg mayor," July 19, 2021
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Florida Politics, "Ken Welch announces support from Brandi Gabbard, Progress Florida," September 30, 2021
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Former Mayor Bill Foster backs Ken Welch in St. Pete mayoral race," July 23, 2021
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Robert Blackmon’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed September 15, 2021
- ↑ Ken Welch’s campaign website, “Principled Progress,” accessed September 15, 2021
- ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee says he’s becoming a Republican," April 6, 2021
- ↑ City Charter of St. Petersburg, "Article III.3.1," accessed October 28, 2014
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