Rick Kriseman Re-Elected St. Petersburg Mayor

ST. PETERSBURG - Mayor Rick Kriseman won re-election Tuesday night, getting 51.6 percent of the vote with all precincts counted, according to unofficial election returns. Rick Baker, the former St. Pete mayor, received about 48.3 percent of the vote. Baker, who served two terms as mayor from 2001-10, conceded the race about 8 p.m.

It had been considered a close race for months with a final St. Pete Polls survey released Monday giving Kriseman a slight edge over Baker 47.5 to 45.6 percent, within a 3.2 point margin of error.

In the August primary, Kriseman had edged Baker by about 70 votes among more than 56,000 cast. The race went to a run-off. About 66,000 residents cast votes in Tuesday's election.

Kriseman, a Democrat, tried to link Republican Baker to President Donald Trump. The mayor also received an endorsement from former President Barack Obama. It was the most expensive mayor’s race in the city's history, with the candidates jointly raising more than $3 million.

It also was a race that divided the city’s sports teams, with the Tampa Bay Rays favoring and contributing to Kriseman and the Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer team supporting Baker. The former mayor worked for Rowdies owner Bill Edwards. Both candidates said they thought the city could support two sports teams.

The campaign also focused on who was responsible for millions of gallons of sewage from the city’s sewer system spilling into area waterways over a 13-month period. The candidates blamed each other.

Kriseman said returning Baker to the mayor’s office would be a step back for the city.

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)