St. Pete Primary results: Welch and Blackmon advance from a crowded field
August 24, 2021 - According to unofficial results from the Pinellas Supervisor of Election's office, Ken Welch and Robert Blackmon will now face off in the Nov.3 general election to become the next Mayor of St. Petersburg. Tuesday night's primary results whittled the number of candidates from eight to two, as no one in the crowded field secured more than 50% of the votes. Ken Welch received the highest number of votes with about 39%, Robert Blackmon came in second with close to 29%, and Darden Rice missed the runoff with under 17% of the vote. Three city council seats are also up for grabs, with the top two vote-getters from each district moving on to the general election for a city-wide vote. Copley Gerdes and Bobbie Shay Lee will advance from District 1, Lissete Hanewicz and Tom Mullins from District 4, and Richie Floyd and Jeff Danner will vie to represent District 8.