2026 St. Petersburg, Florida, mayoral election

2026 St. Petersburg mayoral election

←  2021 August 18, 2026 (primary election) November 3, 2026 (runoff) 2030 →

Incumbent Mayor Ken Welch Democratic

For related races, see 2026 United States local elections.

The 2026 St. Petersburg mayoral election will take place on August 18, 2026, with a runoff election on November 3, 2026, if no candidate receives a majority of the vote. ^[1] Incumbent Mayor Ken Welch, who was first elected in 2021, has announced that he will seek re-election.

Candidates

Declared

• Brandi Gabbard, St. Petersburg city councilor (Democratic) ^[2]
• Ken Welch, incumbent Mayor ^[3]

Filed paperwork

• Maria Scruggs, former president of the St. Petersburg NAACP and perennial candidate ^[4]

Potential

• Charlie Crist, former U.S. representative (2017–2022), former Republican governor of Florida (2007–2011), Democratic nominee for governor in 2014 and 2022, and Independent candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010 ^{[5] [6]}

Declined

• Ben Diamond, former state representative ^[7]

See also

• 2026 Florida elections
  • 2026 Tallahassee mayoral election
• 2026 United States local elections

References

1. "Current and Upcoming Elections". Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections. 2025. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
2. Taylor, Janelle (October 14, 2025). "Brandi Gabbard commits to challenge Ken Welch for Mayor". Florida Politics . Retrieved October 15, 2025.
3. Wolf, Colleen (March 29, 2024). "St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch says he'll run for re-election in 2026". Tampa Bay Times . St. Petersburg, Florida . Retrieved July 4, 2025.
4. Wright, Colleen (August 4, 2025). "Maria Scruggs files to run for St. Petersburg mayor" . Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 3, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
5. Wright, Colleen (October 15, 2025). "Charlie Crist is mulling a run for St. Petersburg mayor". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved October 15, 2025.
6. Janelle Irwin Taylor (November 26, 2025). "Charlie Crist closer to St. Pete mayoral bid, launches political committee". Florida Politics . Retrieved November 26, 2025.
7. Taylor, Janelle (August 28, 2025). "Ben Diamond will not run for St. Pete Mayor". Florida Politics . Retrieved August 29, 2025.

External links

Official campaign websites

• Maria Scruggs for Mayor
• Ken Welch for Mayor