Welch’s available cash is quickly dwindling even as Crist maintains nearly $383K.
Former Gov. Charlie Crist’s affiliated political committee has raised another $50,500, bringing its total raised as of Sept. 4 to more than $2 million.
St. Pete Shines raised the funds from Aug. 29 through Sept. 4. After spending more than $61,000 in the same period — largely on mailers, advertising and text messaging — the committee maintains nearly $289,000 on hand to support Crist’s bid for St. Petersburg Mayor.
Incumbent Mayor Ken Welch, meanwhile, didn’t raise anything to his affiliated political committee, St. Petersburg Progress. It retains less than $9,000.
Crist’s committee has outraised Welch’s every reporting period since both existed. This is the second time in a month Welch’s committee has reported nothing raised, with the finance report Aug. 14 showing no fundraising activity. For the period covering Aug. 15-21, Welch’s PC raised just $1,000. From Aug. 22 through Aug. 28, his committee brought in $8,500.
While Crist’s committee also did not raise funds on Aug. 14, it has raised more than $40,000 in every period since.
Crist’s committee has also been enjoying more in-kind support than Welch’s. Crist reported more than $5,000 in support from in-kind contributions in the most recent reporting period, and has received nearly $34,000 worth of in-kind support since the committee’s inception.
Welch’s PC has only reported $1,000 of in-kind support, at the beginning of the year.
Finance reports for political committees were due Friday. Campaign finance reports, which are filed with the City Clerk, aren’t due until Sept. 18 and will cover campaign finance activity from Aug. 29 through Sept. 11. The most recent reports available, covering activity through Aug. 28, show a similar advantage for Crist.
Crist’s campaign has raised more than $169,000 and has more than $94,000 still on hand. Welch’s campaign has raised less than $94,000 overall, and has less than $16,000 on hand.
Between both committee and campaign accounts, Crist maintains nearly $383,000, while Welch has less than $25,000.
Cash on hand offers voters a snapshot of what to expect as the campaigns progress toward the Nov. 3 General Election runoff. With a major advantage, Crist will have extensive resources to share his message with voters across a variety of platforms. Welch, with funds dwindling, will have limited ability to share his pitch.
Crist’s consistent spending advantage is also paying dividends, with polling showing him in strong position for the General Election.
A St. Pete Polls survey taken Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 among 509 likely St. Pete voters shows Crist with 52% support in the race, while Welch trails at 27%.
Crist’s positioning above 50% suggests that even with winning all undecided voters, Welch may not have a clear path to victory in November. And data from the poll show Crist has improved his position among several demographics, including erasing Welch’s advantage among Black voters and Democrats while gaining ground among both Republicans and independent voters.
Crist’s polling has continuously improved since March, while Welch’s has generally declined. Welch polled at 31% support in a head-to-head against Crist in March, with his strongest showing in late June at 32% support. Welch’s current 27% is his lowest yet. Crist, meanwhile, polled at 36% support in March, jumping to 40% in June, 44% in mid-July, 45% in late July and now 52%.
Endorsements could be playing a role. Two of the four mayoral candidates who did not make the runoff, Kevin Batdorf and Maria Scruggs, have already endorsed Crist. Jim Large, the city’s former Fire Chief, said he doesn’t plan to endorse a candidate at all, while City Council Member Brandi Gabbard has not indicated whether she’ll make an endorsement.
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Ed. note: Michelle Todd Schorsch is the Chair of St. Pete Shines, a political committee backing Crist for St. Petersburg Mayor. Todd Schorsch is married to Peter Schorsch, the publisher of Florida Politics.
Content shared in partnership with Florida Politics.