Ken Welch Makes History As St. Petersburg's First Black Mayor

Updated at 8:51 p.m.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Ken Welch has been elected as St. Petersburg's first Black mayor. He beat his opponent, Robert Blackmon, by more than 12,000 votes, according to unofficial returns Tuesday.

Julie Marcus, the supervisor of elections, said election workers still have about 2,000 mail-in ballots to count. Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office will announce the official results.

Welch declared victory in the race at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum shortly after 7 p.m., the Tampa Bay Times reported.

"I have asked the question, 'What does progress look like'," Welch said from the podium with his family standing behind him. "And the answer from the community is clear. Across the spectrum of age, race, gender, neighborhood to neighborhood. … A leadership that will lead us forward and not backward."

Welch received congratulatory comments on social media as all of the city's precincts reported results.

"What a night," Terri Lipsey Scott, executive director of Carter G. Woodson, said on Twitter. "How long have we been waiting for this change to come? Tonight we’re going to celebrate Black history."

Mayor-Elect Ken Welch tweeted the following:

Thank you so much, St. Pete. I am honored you have elected me the next Mayor of our incredible city! Because of you, as partners in progress, we will be able to reach new heights.

Thank you again, St. Pete, for believing in our vision—you’ve never let me or my family down. pic.twitter.com/Lkj6P0NbP2
— Ken Welch (@Kenwelch) November" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/Kenwelch/s... 3, 2021

Blackmon, who was at Ringside Cafe in downtown St. Pete as the results came in, congratulated Welch on his win.

“We didn’t get the end result we wanted,” Blackmon said. “First of all, I want to congratulate Mayor Ken Welch...Just do something to make the city and the world a better place. There’s too much pain, there’s too much suffering."

St. Petersburg residents were at the polls Tuesday to choose city council members and a new mayor to follow Rick Kriseman, who's leaving office because of term limits. Polls closed at 7 p.m.

Julie Marcus, Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections, tweeted "244 voters cast Election Day ballots in the first 10 minutes," Monday morning.

Voters also select city council members for district 1, district 2, district 4, district 6 and district 8. And, voters are asked to approve seven charter amendments that would govern redistricting and other city processes.

Unofficial Results with 100 percent of precincts reporting:

Mayor

Ken Welch: 39,040

Robert Blackmon: 26,046

City Council Member — District 1

Copley Gerdes: 30,832

Bobbie Shay Lee: 27,000

City Council Member — District 4

Lisset Haewicz: 31,163

Tom Mullins: 26,515

Council Member—District 6

Gina Driscoll: 39,313

Mhariel A. Summers: 16,429

Council Member—District 8

Jeff Danner: 28,452

Richie Floyd: 28,163

In the primary election, Welch received 21,827 votes—roughly 6,000 more votes than Blackmon's 15,659 votes, according to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections office. A most recent St. Pete Polls Survey said 74 percent of Black voters would cast their ballots for Welch, and 12 percent for Blackmon. Forty-six percent of white voters said they would vote for Blackmon, and 49 percent for Welch.

Blackmon, a Republican, is aware he doesn't have bigger numbers in some polls.

“You never know what’s going to happen. Polling – some say I’m getting completely blown out, some say it’s neck and neck,” Blackmon told WFLA. “I think this is going to be one of the most exciting mayors races in recent memory.”

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Welch, a Democrat, told the outlet when he played offensive tackle in high school, you didn't stop until you heard the last whistle, and he plans on playing until the ballots close Tuesday.

According to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections, 2,663 voters have showed up to the polls Election Day as of 9:26 a.m., and 39,772 mail-in ballots have been received.

An issue Blackmon and Welch have talked about throughout campaigning is if the Tampa Bay Rays should stay or go. Blackmon said at an Oct. 13 debate hosted by WFLA that it's tough for him to decide if the team should stay or go.

"...I need to look at the harsh realities that are constantly evolving on site," Blackmon said. "You know that site is the future of economic development for our city. It is where we will put hotel space. It is where we can put office space."

Welch said the Rays staying in St. Pete is secondary to him because he is a child of the gas plant.
"The original promise was jobs and equitable, economic development," Welch said. "That's my priority. But I absolutely believe that the Rays will be a part of that, either at the Trop site, or at Al Lang field. We've got the funding source."

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