2013 St. Petersburg, Florida, mayoral election

Last updated

2013 St. Petersburg, Florida, mayoral election
Flag of St. Petersburg, Florida.svg
  2009 August 27, 2013 (first round)
November 5, 2013 (runoff)
2017  
  State Representative Rick Kriseman.jpg Bill Foster (mayor).jpg 3x4.svg
Candidate Rick Kriseman Bill Foster Kathleen Ford
Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Nonpartisan
First-round vote19,47020,3369,648
First-round percentage38.9%40.63%19.27%
Second-round vote29,68723,412
Second-round percentage55.91%44.09%

Mayor before election

Bill Foster
Republican

Elected Mayor

Rick Kriseman
Democratic

St. Petersburg, Florida, held an election for mayor on August 27 and November 5, 2013. A non-partisan primary election was held on August 27, 2013. No candidate won a majority of the vote, so the top two finishers, incumbent Mayor Bill Foster and former State Representative Rick Kriseman, advanced to a runoff.

Contents

After a campaign described as "nasty", [1] "partisan", [2] "contentious" and "the costliest in [St. Petersburg] history", [3] Foster lost to Kriseman by 56% to 44%, becoming the first incumbent mayor of St. Petersburg to lose a race for re-election in more than 26 years.

Adam C. Smith of the Tampa Bay Times wrote that although 70% of voters approved of where the city was heading and Foster was "a good man who presided over no corruption scandal, no violent racial unrest", he only proved to be "adequate" at the job. He also "underestimat[ed] voters' intelligence, talking about a secret plan to keep the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg", had an "ever-shifting" position on the St. Petersburg Pier and alienated African-American voters in Midtown. Kriseman, Smith wrote, capitalized on this to win "considerable" African-American support and ran as a "safe, credible alternative for those unimpressed with the incumbent", promising to govern like popular former Mayor Rick Baker. [4]

Primary election

Candidates

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Bill
Foster (R)
Rick
Kriseman (D)
Undecided
St. Pete Polls [5] February 18, 2013690± 3.4%38%34%28%

Results

St. Petersburg Mayoral primary election, 2013 [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%
nonpartisan candidate Bill Foster 20,336 40.63
nonpartisan candidate Rick Kriseman 19,470 38.9
nonpartisan candidate Kathleen Ford9,64819.27
nonpartisan candidate Anthony Cates III3760.75
nonpartisan candidate Paul Congemi2250.45
Total votes50,055 100.00

Endorsements

Bill Foster

Elected Officials

Organizations

Rick Kriseman

Elected Officials

  • Charlie Crist, former Republican Governor of Florida and Independent Candidate for Senate in 2010 [10]
  • Leslie Curran, St. Petersburg city council member [11]
  • Paula Dockery, former Republican state senator [12]
  • Dwight Dudley, state representative [13]
  • Pat Gerard, Mayor of Largo [12]
  • Charlie Gerdes, St. Petersburg city council member [13]
  • Charlie Justice, Pinellas County Commissioner [13]
  • Steve Kornell, St. Petersburg city council member [11]
  • Susan Latvala, Pinellas County Commissioner [12]
  • Janet C. Long, Pinellas County Commissioner [13]
  • Bill Nelson, US Senator [14]
  • Karl Nurse, St. Petersburg city council member [11]
  • Darryl Rouson, state representative [13]
  • Alex Sink, former Chief Financial Officer and nominee for Governor in 2010 [12]

Organizations

Runoff election

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Bill
Foster (R)
Rick
Kriseman (D)
Undecided
St. Pete Polls [16] October 24, 20131,397± 2.6%42.6%48.3%9%
Braun Research [17] October 17–21, 2013809± 3.4%34%40%19%
Braun Research [18] September 14–16, 2013410± 4.8%39%40%16%

Results

St. Petersburg Mayoral runoff election, 2013 [19]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
nonpartisan candidate Rick Kriseman 29,687 55.91
nonpartisan candidate Bill Foster23,41244.09
Majority6,27511.82%
Turnout 53,099
Democratic gain from Republican Swing

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Baker (mayor)</span> American politician

Richard Murray "Rick" Baker is an American attorney and politician who served as mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. Elected in 2001, he was reelected in November 2005 with almost 70% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Kriseman</span> American politician

Richard David Kriseman is an American politician who served as the 53rd Mayor of St. Petersburg from 2014 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 53rd district from 2006 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet C. Long</span> American politician

Janet C. Long is a Democratic politician and educator who serves as a member of the Pinellas County Commission for the at-large District 1. Previously, she represented District 51 in the Florida House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011, and was a member of the Seminole, Florida City Council from 2002 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Heller</span> American politician (1935–2020)

Harold William Heller was an American politician and educator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Florida gubernatorial election</span>

The 2010 Florida gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Republican-turned-Independent incumbent Governor Charlie Crist chose not to run for a second term and he ran unsuccessfully for the Senate seat vacated by Mel Martínez. This resulted in an open race for Governor of Florida in which Republican Rick Scott narrowly defeated Democrat Alex Sink.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Foster (mayor)</span> American politician

David William Foster is an American attorney and former mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. He was elected in 2009. Before being elected mayor Foster served on the city council and worked as a lawyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Florida gubernatorial election</span>

The 2014 Florida gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Florida Attorney General election</span>

The 2014 Florida Attorney General election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Attorney General of Florida. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi ran for re-election to a second term in office against Democrat George Sheldon and Libertarian Bill Wohlsifer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida</span>

The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, to elect the 27 U.S. representatives from the state of Florida, one from each of the state's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including Governor of Florida. There was no net party change, as Democrat Gwen Graham defeated Republican incumbent Steve Southerland in the 2nd district, while Republican Carlos Curbelo defeated Democratic incumbent Joe Garcia in the 26th district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States Senate election in Florida</span>

The 2016 United States Senate election in Florida was held November 8, 2016 to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Florida, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primary elections for both the Republicans and Democrats took place on August 30, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Florida's 13th congressional district special election</span>

A special election for Florida's 13th congressional district was held March 11, 2014, to elect a member of the United States House of Representatives, following the death of incumbent Republican Congressman Bill Young on October 18, 2013. Primary elections were held on January 14, 2014. Young, who had already announced that he would not be running for re-election in 2014, was re-elected in 2012 with 57 percent of the vote. With 100% of the precincts reporting, David Jolly was declared the winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen Peters</span> American politician

Kathleen M. Peters is an American politician of the Republican Party and a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 69th District, which includes southern Pinellas County, stretching from Redington Shores to St. Pete Beach, from 2012 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayors of St. Petersburg, Florida</span>

There have been 54 mayors of St. Petersburg, Florida. David Moffett was the city's first mayor. The current mayor is Ken Welch, the city's first African American mayor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Florida gubernatorial election</span>

The 2018 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Florida, alongside an election to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and other state and local elections. Incumbent two-term Republican governor Rick Scott was term-limited and could not run for a third term, and he successfully ran for Florida's Class I Senate seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida</span>

The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, to elect the 27 U.S. representatives from the state of Florida, one from each of the state's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including President of the United States.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 St. Petersburg, Florida, mayoral election</span>

St. Petersburg, Florida, held a general election for mayor on August 29 and November 7, 2017, with a primary election which took place on August 29, 2017. Incumbent mayor Rick Kriseman, a Democrat, opted to seek re-election. His opponent in the runoff was Republican former mayor Rick Baker (2001–2010). The election was officially non-partisan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Clearwater, Florida, municipal elections</span>

Clearwater, Florida, held a general election on March 17, 2020, to elect a mayor and two members of the city council. These elections coincided with the Democratic and Republican presidential preference primaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the 28 U.S. representatives from Florida, one from each of the state's 28 congressional districts. The primary was held on August 23, 2022. The elections coincided with the 2022 United States Senate election in Florida, other elections to the House of Representatives, other elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 St. Petersburg, Florida, mayoral election</span>

The 2021 St. Petersburg, Florida, mayoral election was held on August 24, 2021, with a runoff on November 2 because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the first round. It elected the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. Incumbent Democratic mayor Rick Kriseman was term-limited and could not seek a third term in office. Municipal elections in St. Petersburg are officially nonpartisan. Former Pinellas County commissioner Ken Welch easily defeated city councilor Robert Blackmon in the runoff. Candidates eliminated in the first round included city councilor Darden Rice, former state representative Wengay Newton, and restaurateur Pete Boland. Welch took office in January 2022, becoming the first black mayor of St. Petersburg.

References

  1. "St. Pete mayoral candidates Foster and Kriseman defend nasty campaign mailers". WMNF. October 25, 2013. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  2. "St. Pete mayoral race turns nasty, partisan as vote nears". The Tampa Tribune. November 2, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  3. "Rick Kriseman tops Bill Foster in St. Petersburg mayor's race". The Tampa Bay Times. November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  4. "Good-enough mayor not good enough for St. Petersburg voters anymore". The Tampa Bay Times. November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  5. St. Pete Polls
  6. "Pinellas - Election Results". enr.votepinellas.com. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  7. "Gov. Rick Scott Endorses St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster". Tampa Bay Times. September 30, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  8. "Pinellas Realtor Organization endorses St. Petersburg candidates". Tampa Bay Times. June 22, 2013. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  9. "Foster for mayor of St. Petersburg". Tampa Tribune. October 13, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  10. "Former Gov. Charlie Crist endorses Rick Kriseman in St. Petersburg mayor's race". Tampa Bay Times. October 7, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  11. 1 2 3 "St. Pete City Council chairman backs mayor's opponent". Tampa Tribune. August 26, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Susan Latvala and Paula Dockery endorse Rick Kriseman for mayor". Creative Loafing. March 20, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Five Democrats endorse Rick Kriseman in nonpartisan St. Petersburg mayoral race". Creative Loafing. February 27, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  14. "Bill Nelson endorses Rick Kriseman in St. Pete mayor's race". Tampa Tribune. August 22, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  15. "Times recommends: Kriseman for mayor". Tampa Bay Times. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  16. St. Pete Polls
  17. Braun Research
  18. Braun Research
  19. "Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections–Municipal elections November 5, 2013". enr.votepinellas.com. Retrieved June 4, 2016.