Ken Welch, St. Petersburg Mayor-elect, endorses Charlie Crist for governor

ST. PETERSBURG — Ken Welch, who will be sworn in as St. Petersburg’s next mayor in January, announced his endorsement of U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist for Florida’s governor.

Crist became the first Democrat to enter the governor’s race in May and has been joined by state Sen. Annette Taddeo, his former running mate, and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is running for a second term.

Welch, a Democrat, won the nonpartisan St. Petersburg city election with 60 percent of the vote and will become the city’s first Black mayor. Crist’s seat in the U.S. House covers St. Petersburg, the city his family moved to as a child.

“From working tirelessly to protect our shores and beaches, to bringing in millions of federal dollars in aid and relief for Pinellas, to taking a stand for working families and seniors; Charlie has never wavered in his commitment to our hometown of St. Pete or the people of Florida — that’s why I am proud to endorse him to be our next Governor,” Welch said in a statement.

In the more than half a year since Crist announced his candidacy, he has received more than 100 endorsements, including those of U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, U.S. Rep. Al Lawson and St. Petersburg City Council members Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Lisa Wheeler Bowman and Brandi Gabbard.

“The Mayor-elect’s backing signals the continued momentum and diversity of support our campaign’s message has received from St. Pete and beyond,” Crist said in a statement. “We’re assembling a formidable group of leaders and activists, ready to get to work to help us build a Florida for all and deliver on our promise to the people of the Sunshine State.”

As a registered Republican, Crist was Florida’s governor from 2007 to 2011. He ran for governor as a Democrat in 2014 and lost.

The race to replace him in the U.S. House is being closely watched as Republicans try to regain control in D.C. Currently, four Democrats, four Republicans and one Libertarian are registered candidates for Florida’s 13th district.