Rick Kriseman supported Ken Welch four years ago. Now, the former St. Petersburg mayor is backing the man trying to replace Welch.
Kriseman endorsed Charlie Crist in the Nov. 3 mayoral runoff, giving the former Governor the support of all four living former St. Petersburg Mayors. Kriseman joins Bob Ulrich, Rick Baker and Bill Foster, each of whom had already lined up behind Crist.
The endorsement is also a change from where Kriseman stood just weeks ago. After Crist and Welch advanced from the Aug. 18 primary, Kriseman told the Tampa Bay Times he was not picking a side. At the time, Baker, Foster and Ulrich had already endorsed Crist.
When asked about the fact that Kriseman previously endorsed Welch, during that last election cycle, Crist responded: “So did I; so did a lot of people.”
“I’m humbled by Rick’s endorsement. I’m very proud of it,” Crist said. “It makes it very clear that this campaign we’ve been running is working, and it sends that message loud and clear.”
Kriseman served as Mayor from 2014 until 2022, immediately preceding Welch. Before that, he served in the Florida House while Crist was Governor. In announcing his endorsement, Kriseman pointed to that period, saying Crist made time to discuss policy and legislation despite the two then belonging to different political parties.
Crist’s campaign has leaned heavily on endorsements from people with experience inside St. Petersburg government. Former City Council member Ed Montanari endorsed him earlier this month, and sitting Council members Lisset Hanewicz, Gina Driscoll and Mike Harting have also announced their support, tipping the majority of the current city council toward favoring Crist.
Crist has held some of the biggest seats in Florida politics: Governor, Attorney General, Education Commissioner and Congress without ever running a municipal government.
Crist said he has sought advice from people who have. “I’ve talked to Bob Martinez, a former Tampa mayor, who told me that being mayor is the best job of them all.” Note that, like Crist, Martinez was also a governor of Florida, serving as the state’s 40th governor, compared to Crist’s 44th.
Kriseman’s endorsement adds the voice of the person who held the office most recently before Welch. Kriseman’s statement focused less on Crist’s résumé than on how he remembered Crist governing.
“I know he will govern the city the same,” Kriseman said, “always putting the people of St. Petersburg and good, thoughtful policy ahead of all else.”
“Rick and I didn’t always sit on the same side of the aisle, but we always sat at the same table,” Crist said in the campaign’s announcement. “He loves this city, and he knows what this job asks of you.”
The mayoral runoff is a little more than five weeks away. Crist finished first in the Aug. 18 primary with 35.2% of the vote, while Welch took 20.7%, sending the two to the Nov. 3 election.