St. Petersburg City Council member Brandi Gabbard will host a campaign kickoff event next week as she looks to build momentum ahead of the 2026 mayoral race.
Gabbard’s campaign will host an April 7 kickoff at 5:30 p.m. at 15th Street Farm in St. Petersburg, according to a digital invitation circulating online. The event aims to rally early supporters and donors as candidates look to build financial momentum ahead of first-quarter campaign finance reports due April 10.
The event comes just after the March 31 fundraising cutoff, meaning totals from the kickoff itself won’t appear until the next reporting period.
The kickoff marks one of Gabbard’s first organized campaign events. Gabbard has focused her campaign around long-term planning and proactive governance, telling supporters in a recent campaign message that the city is at a “political crossroads” and needs leadership focused on anticipating future challenges rather than reacting to them.
Gabbard is a Realtor and second-term City Council member first elected in 2017, including experience serving as Council Chair and Vice Chair. Gabbard has been active in several high-profile city issues including the ongoing debate over redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District — a defining issue likely to play a central role in the mayoral race. She has pushed to slow the process and incorporate additional planning, setting up a clear contrast with Welch’s approach.
She is part of a growing field of candidates seeking to unseat incumbent Mayor Ken Welch. Former St. Petersburg Fire Chief Jim Large, former Shore Acres Neighborhood Association President Kevin Batdorf, and perennial candidates Maria Scruggs and Paul Congemi have also filed to run. Former Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to enter the race, with a political committee already amassing significant fundraising totals ahead of a potential bid, although he has yet to formally enter the race.
Welch, who filed for reelection in February, is campaigning on his administration’s work on infrastructure, housing and economic development, while defending his handling of the Gas Plant redevelopment — an issue that has drawn both support and criticism among community members, and an area where Gabbard has emerged as a vocal counterpoint on the City Council.
Recent polling suggests there are plenty of voters still undecided on the race, reflecting how early the contest remains and how early fundraising events like Gabbard’s kickoff could help signal which campaigns are gaining traction and which are at risk of falling behind.
