Politics
Direct mail roundup: Brandi Gabbard dinged on affordability; Jim Large goes negative; Charlie Crist takes takes high road
As Election Day looms in just one week, voters in St. Petersburg are getting flooded with direct mail from entities supporting, or opposing, the candidates for Mayor.
A recent sampling of mail shows the committee supporting Jim Large for Mayor hitting front-runner Charlie Crist over his political history, an outside group attacking Brandi Gabbard on affordability, and the committee supporting Crist sharing a positive message about its guy.
Let’s start with Gabbard.
A mailer paid for by Friends of Honor Fund, a political committee established in late April that has taken in just three contributions since it formed, blasts Gabbard on affordability.
“Whose side is Brandi Gabbard really on?” the mailer asks, before answering in slightly smaller font: “Developers. Landlords. Not the working class.”
It notes that even as “rents climbed nearly 30%,” Gabbard “voted to block St. Petersburg renters from getting a vote on relief, while taking thousands from real estate interests.” The claim refers to Gabbard’s vote in August of 2022 on an item seeking to put a rent control ordinance on the St. Pete ballot.
Gabbard was one of five City Council members to vote against the measure, citing state preemption that barred rent stabilization measures in most instances, and loopholes that would render any such measures moot. Supporters argued the city should have challenged the state and found a way.
The mailer also bashes Gabbard for taking “$3000-$6000 from real estate interests” even as she “voted to pack more density into the coastal storm-surge zone” and refused to recuse herself from the vote. The claim references a vote in late 2020 in which Gabbard was one of six Council members to vote in favor of allowing greater density in the city’s Coastal High Hazard Area, which is prone to flooding.
About 60 people spoke on the issue ahead of the City Council vote nearly six years ago, and of those, about 45 opposed the plan arguing it would exacerbate residential flooding, according to the St. Pete Catalyst.
The mailer also attacks Gabbard for a 2023 vote allowing additional density in certain areas by allowing them to build up to four residences on a single-family lot, without requiring affordable housing elements. The St. Pete Tenants Union, which was backing a rent control measure at the time, called the plan out for not helping working families.
Only one City Council member voted against the measure at the time, former Council Member Ed Montanari.
The bottom of the mailer ends on a final zinger: “When the powerful pushed, Gabbard folded. St. Petersburg can’t afford a Mayor who won’t stand up for the rest of us.”
The attack on Gabbard wasn’t the only negative mail voters have received in recent days. Another paid for by A Better Burg, the political committee supporting Large, attacks Crist over his political record. It portrays Crist as a chameleon on one side. The other side declares, “Charlie the Chameleon can’t stop running,” and then lists his various runs for office and actions as an elected official in various roles.
The ad clearly targets Republican voters, as it indicates Crist voted twice to impeach President Donald Trump, voted to elect U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker, and ran for Governor against Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Large is a Republican, though the race is nonpartisan.
The bottom of the mailer laments, “If only conservatives had another choice,” followed by a whimsical font proclaiming “Thankfully, we do — Jim Large.”
Meanwhile, St. Pete Shines, the committee supporting Crist, took a different approach.
“City Hall should have open doors,” the top of a mailer reads above images of Crist behind open doors in various scenarios, including talking with voters and in a helicopter. The mailer vows Crist will be “a Mayor you can reach.”
The other side declares “Charlie Crist has spent decades listening, responding, and finding solutions for Floridians when they needed someone in their corner.” It makes no mention of any opponent, though it does include one subtle dig at incumbent Ken Welch, with a line noting that “St. Pete deserves better.”
The mailers landed in mailboxes across the city as early voting got underway over the weekend, and will continue through Sunday. Election Day is Aug. 18.
As of Tuesday morning, voter turnout in Pinellas County had reached more than 12%, with Republican voters narrowly out-voting Democrats by fewer than 100 votes. It’s worth noting that number includes all of Pinellas County, not just the city of St. Pete. Some South St. Pete voting precincts, such as those at Bay Vista Center and Pinellas Community Church, are over-performing average turnout so far.
Crist is the leading candidate in a race that has found incumbent Mayor Welch struggling. Crist has a commanding fundraising lead, with more than $700,000 on hand. Comparatively, Welch maintains less than $81,000, while Gabbard has less than $28,000 and Large less than $58,000. What’s more, Crist has already significantly outspent all of his opponents, at more than $1 million. Welch, the second top spender, has spent more than $300,000.
Polling also shows a major advantage for Crist. A recent St. Pete Polls survey shows Crist leading the pack with more than 34% support. Welch follows at 19%, with Gabbard in third at 15% support. No other candidate reaches double-digit support, with Large posting 8.5% support, and Kevin Batdorf and Maria Scruggs tied at 3%.
___
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.
The post Direct mail roundup: Brandi Gabbard dinged on affordability; Jim Large goes negative; Charlie Crist takes takes high road appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..