Charlie Crist made casting a ballot Saturday morning look more like a parade than a trip to the polls. A sizable entourage gathered down the street from the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections office in downtown St. Petersburg, then followed the former Florida governor toward the polls behind a drumline beating through the morning traffic. Campaign signs for candidates across the ballot crowded the lawn outside the elections office as Crist slipped in his own ballot, with his name among the choices for mayor.
When asked how it feels to finally cast his vote, Crist said it feels “Wonderful. I feel good about things and pleased about the enthusiasm level.”
Saturday marked the first day of early voting in Pinellas County, beginning the final 10-day sprint toward St. Petersburg’s Aug. 18 nonpartisan primary. Early voting continues through Aug. 16. If no mayoral candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the primary, the two highest vote-getters will face each other Nov. 3.
Crist is campaigning as though there may not be a November race. Recent polling has consistently placed him at the front of the field, although whether he can clear the 50% threshold remains another question. An earlier St. Pete Polls survey found Crist leading incumbent Mayor Ken Welch, but nowhere near the majority necessary to avoid a runoff. More recently, a political committee supporting Crist touted polling showing him above 50% among respondents who said they had already voted, fueling the campaign’s confidence that the race could end Aug. 18.
Crist is challenging Welch alongside City Councilmember Brandi Gabbard, former St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Chief Jim Large, former Shore Acres Civic Association President Kevin Batdorf and Maria Scruggs, a former president of the St. Petersburg NAACP.
Welch is seeking a second term after winning the mayor’s office in 2021. Gabbard is leaving her District 2 City Council seat due to term limits, while Large is making his first run for elected office after a five-decade career with the city that included 18 years as fire chief.
Crist, meanwhile, has spent much of his political career operating on a considerably larger stage. He served as Florida’s education commissioner and attorney general before becoming governor in 2007, and later represented Pinellas County in Congress.
Now, Crist is back in the ‘Burg. “It’s my hometown, and home is where the heart is, so it’s incredibly special to run for mayor of St. Pete,” Crist said Saturday. “I’m humbled by the support we’ve gotten.”
The closing weeks of the race have become increasingly contentious. Crist and Welch have traded criticism over the direction of City Hall, while housing affordability, property taxes, hurricane recovery, infrastructure and the future of the Historic Gas Plant District have dominated forums and campaign messaging.
Crist has also taken an unconventional approach to some of those forums. He recently skipped two ticketed candidate events, including a Suncoast Tiger Bay Club forum, instead holding free tele-town halls. His campaign has maintained that voters should not have to pay to participate in the political process.
Mail voting was already underway before early voting opened Saturday, and voters have until Aug. 16 to cast an early ballot. Those who wait until Aug. 18 will determine whether Crist’s confidence in an outright primary victory is justified or whether St. Petersburg’s mayoral campaign continues for another 11 weeks.
Crist’s message after casting his own ballot was considerably simpler: “Go vote,” he said. “It’s important to exercise your right to vote.”
