Darryl Rouson’s dual nod may not seem like a big deal for Charlie Crist, but it’s huge. Here’s why

Sen. Darryl Rouson has endorsed Charlie Crist for St. Petersburg Mayor. But he had already endorsed incumbent Ken Welch, and he’s not backing down from that support. He’s supporting both. Either, if you will.

And while it would be easy to say that’s hedging on Rouson’s part, it does more good to Crist than Welch, and it harms Welch in ways it cannot possibly harm Crist.

To fully understand why, one must have at least some rudimentary knowledge of St. Pete politics.

First, Rouson’s double endorsement didn’t happen in a vacuum. It came the same day Crist attended a press conference hosted by former Gov. Rick Scott. It was Scott who invited Crist.

There are so many individual pieces of nuance to unpack in that. Most obviously, Crist is a Democrat and Scott is a Republican. Already, we’ve got strange bedfellows. Almost as obvious, Scott and Crist are former foes. Crist challenged Scott for Governor in 2014, losing only narrowly to Scott.

There are some, likely on the far left, who won’t see Crist’s participation in a Scott press conference as a good thing, no matter how noble the topic. In this case, Scott gathered several state leaders, including fellow U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, to oppose Kanye West’s scheduled concerts later this month at Raymond James Stadium. West, who now goes by the stage name “Ye,” has been a known antisemite, and Scott’s press conference more broadly opposed antisemitism in general.

Scott’s invitation to the press conference shows that he understands doing right requires broad buy-in, and Crist’s acceptance to the press conference despite the political optics as he runs for Mayor in a liberal city shows he’s more interested in doing what’s right than what’s politically expedient. And ironically, by making that choice, he was being politically expedient.

The St. Pete Mayor’s race is nonpartisan. Candidates’ political affiliations won’t appear on the ballot. But it’s no secret that both Crist and Welch are Democrats.

It’s also little secret that two Republicans are also running — former Fire Chief Jim Large and former Shore Acres Neighborhood Association President Kevin Batdorf. There’s also Brandi Gabbard, a sitting City Council member who is a Democrat, but has the real estate and business bona fides to be competitive among Republicans.

That’s important because, even though St. Pete is a liberal city, it’s been becoming less so for years now. Voter registration as of the end of May in St. Pete now favors Democrats by about 20,000 voters, with 42% of the electorate compared to 30% for Republicans. That’s not even considering the nearly 25% of independents.

Republicans may still be a long way from dictating citywide elections, but they have long been able to put their thumb on the scale. A Democratic candidate who can earn a solid chunk of their party’s vote, while also skimming some from the opposing party, has a better chance of winning than a candidate who relies mostly on partisan support.

Crist participated in a meaningful press conference on a timely topic people in his city care about. Most will see a man standing up for what’s right, not a candidate rubbing shoulders with the enemy. The event offered Crist exposure and it likely caught the eye of some St. Pete Republican voters who may not have realized Crist had respect across the aisle. It was already a good day for Crist the person, AND Crist the candidate.

It got even better around dinnertime, when word rolled in about Rouson’s endorsement. Rouson heaped praise on Crist, saying he “demonstrated leadership with compassion, integrity, and has always put people before politics.” He praised Crist for his “dedication to public service” and said he would “make an outstanding Mayor for our city.”

It would have been better for Crist if Rouson had offered his endorsement only to him. But the dual endorsement isn’t exactly a consolation prize either. It benefits Crist more than it benefits Welch, and it actually hurts Welch by giving some voters permission to vote against one of their own.

As the city’s first Black Mayor, it is all but certain Welch will dominate the Black vote. The city’s Black community is a bedrock of its democracy, and whoever wins the Black vote tends to win elections. The community is passionate, outspoken and, perhaps above all else, loyal. But that loyalty must be earned, and Rouson’s dual endorsement signals that Welch may have fallen short, at least among some.

If there are any voters in the Black community who weren’t thrilled with Welch’s job performance so far, but were still on the fence about whether to support a change in leadership, Rouson’s endorsement gave them permission to make the switch.

Think of it like the “Me Too” movement. As soon as one or two survivors emerged, bravely sharing their stories, more followed. While it’s by no means guaranteed, and Crist will still have to earn their vote, Rouson’s endorsement could have opened the flood gates for Crist.

This isn’t just because Rouson is Black. It’s not just because he frequently refers to Welch as a friend. It’s because Rouson’s voice carries weight, especially in South St. Pete. With nearly 18 years in the Legislature, Rouson can’t pop into the grocery store without clearing his calendar, because he’s stopped in every aisle, sometimes multiple times, by constituents wanting to say hello, ask about a policy, or often, just say “thank you.”

In many ways, he’s as much of a St. Pete institution as either Crist or Welch.

Crist doesn’t have to win the Black vote outright to win the election. But if he wins any of it, Welch’s path to re-election gets a whole lot muddier.

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Ed. Note: Michelle Todd Schorsch is the Chair of St. Pete Shines, a political committee backing Crist for St. Petersburg Mayor. Todd Schorsch is married to Peter Schorsch, the publisher of Florida Politics.