So some good election news tonight: My city of St. Petersburg, Florida has just elected our first-ever African American mayor in its 133-year history: Congratulations Ken Welch! A former Pinellas County Commissioner, Welch handily defeated Republican Robert Blackmon 60%-40%.
A native of St. Petersburg, Welch, 57, served for 20 years on the Pinellas County Commission (Pinellas is the county where St. Petersburg is located). He was only the second African American to serve on the Commission. His father, David, was the first Black man to serve on St. Petersburg’s City Council.
Blackmon, 32, did his best to be a Donald Trump wannabe, particularly near the end. In his campaign he tried to use fear to gain votes, talking about about fully funding the police. During the primary, news came out about racist and sexist social media posts by Blackmon when he was in his 20s. The posts include several references to women as a “bitch” and three generations of women, including a 3-year-old, as “sluts.” In another post, he shared a photo of Trump creepily standing behind Hillary Clinton in a debate and wrote, “He’s within grabbing distance !!” Last night Blackmon capped off his losing campaign in pure Trumpian style:
Blackmon spoke at the “Blexit 727 Block Party,” a movement trying to convince Black voters to exit the Democratic party. There were American flags and shirts that said “Think while it’s still legal” and “Liberals can’t bully me.” Some flew “Let’s Go, Brandon” flags, a right-wing code to insult President Joe Biden.Yes, a real prince.
Ugh.
Welch was considered the frontrunner throughout the campaign, given his wealth of public service experience and strong endorsements from most of the powerbrokers in the city. But in these times you just never know.
Here’s a snippet from Welch’s victory speech:
“Let me be clear in stating that making history in and of itself has never been the priority of this campaign nor will it be the focus of my administration. ... For me, making history without making a positive impact is an empty achievement. Our election victory must be followed by a purposeful agenda of accountability and intentional equity for our entire community.”
Congratulations Ken Welch!