In St Pete, Mallory Locks Up Local Support, Grove Corners National Orgs
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Trevor Mallory seems to win support wherever he goes. He announced his candidacy for City Council District 6 with support from Karl Nurse, who formerly held the seat. Along the way, he picked up endorsements from Gina Driscoll, who represents the seat now, and Frank Peterman, who held it before Nurse.
Then there are his former political opponents. Mallory and his opponent Linsey Grove emerged from a crowded 5-person primary in August to face each other in November’s runoff election to determine the next St Petersburg Councilmember for District 6. Every former opponent, save Grove, has now endorsed Mallory.
In the primary election, Grove earned 28% of the vote. Mallory earned 23%. Their opponents, Terri Balliet, Doug Homeyer, and Jameka Williams, earned about 16% each, for a total of 48% of the vote. All three now endorse Mallory.
Candidate Jameka Williams, a community advocate and DSA member, said she considered her endorsement carefully. “Trevor has a strong track record of building affordable housing, isn’t afraid to say no to developers when a project doesn’t serve our community, and wants to tackle outrageous water bills,” she wrote in her endorsement.
On the other side of the political spectrum, conservative independent Doug Homeyer, another former opponent, said of Mallory, “Trevor is a practical guy and I’ve learned a lot from him during this campaign. He’s clearly the right person to tackle the challenges our city is facing.”
And Mallory’s local support doesn’t end there. Former Mayors Rick Kriseman, Bill Foster, and Rick Baker have endorsed him. So have County Commissioner Rene Flowers, Representative-elect Kyandra Darling, and Senator Darryl Rouson. Mallory counts among his supporters former Councilmembers Jim Kennedy, Ed Montanari, and Charlie Gerdes, former Representative Ben Diamond, a majority of the Gulfport City Council, the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association, and the Tampa Bay Times.
Grove’s local support is thin by comparison , featuring one City Councilmember, Brandi Gabbard, one former County Commissioner, Pat Gerard, and one former Representative, Michele Rayner. But Grove does have an ace up her sleeve.
“Dr. Linsey Grove has secured more organizational endorsements than any other candidate in this race,” she boasted in a social media post. And, indeed, Grove’s endorsements are a veritable who’s-who of national and statewide political organizations. She has been endorsed by Run for Something, Engage Y'all PAC, New Politics PAC, The American People’s Compact, Vote Common Good, and 314 Action Fund. Statewide organizations have also thrown their support behind Grove’s bid for City Council, including Ruth’s List, Florida Rising, and SEIU Florida.
Both candidates are running serious races, with voters seeing Grove mailers in their mailboxes and Mallory spots on TV. Both candidates are also reaching voters directly at their doors. Total fundraising and expenditures are roughly similar: Grove has raised about $58,000 and spent $52,000, and Mallory has raised $66,000 and spent $50,000 as of the most recent report on October 2.
For St. Petersburg, this race appears to be a test of local retail politics versus statewide and national organizational muscle. Does Mallory's local support impress voters, or will Grove's national backers make a bigger splash? Mail ballots are already being cast and voting ends in less than a month on November 3.