Mayoral Candidate Welch Tests COVID-19 Positive, Postpones Debate

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — St. Petersburg residents have to wait to hear the first mayoral debate after Wednesday's event got postponed due to COVID-19 health concerns, the University of South Florida told Patch.

Mayoral Candidate Ken Welch posted on Facebook over the weekend that he tested positive for COVID-19, however he feels fine, but he doesn't want to spread the virus to others.

A spokesperson for Welch's campaign said he was willing to do the debate remotely via a video conference, but City Councilman Robert Blackmon is not open to that. He said he would rather do a proper debate in person.

The debate was going to take place at the University of South Florida, 140 Seventh Avenue South, St. Petersburg. The postponed debate's future date has not been decided yet.

Welch remained ahead of Blackmon during the August primaries receiving 39.41 percent of votes out of the 55,346 votes counted, according to the Vote Pinellas website. Blackmon had 28.25 percent of votes. Welch obtained 6,000 more votes than Blackmon.

They will face off in the Nov. 2 general election to replace outgoing mayor, Rick Kriseman. Kriseman, who has served as mayor for about eight years, will reach his term limit in November.

If you are not registered to vote in St. Petersburg, you may do so at Register To Vote website. The voting registration deadline is Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. To find out if you are already registered to vote, visit Florida's Voter Lookup.

Related Patch Story:

• St. Pete Mayor's Race Results: Welch, Blackmon Win Primary