Brandi Gabbard looks for fundraising surge to close Q1

St. Petersburg City Council member Brandi Gabbard has sent an email blast seeking donations to her mayoral campaign ahead of the March 31 deadline for 2026 first-quarter finance reports.

Reports outlining all financial activity spanning Jan. 1 through March 31 are due April 10. It will be Gabbard’s first financial report since joining the Mayor’s race earlier this month and will offer clues into her ability to remain competitive in what will be an expensive race.

The email seeks contributions of $100 or more to “help us get our message of proactive, thoughtful leadership to every corner of St. Petersburg.”

The email was similar to another sent on Friday, saying the city is at a “critical crossroads” and declaring that the city deserves “leadership that does more than just react to the challenges of today” and who instead will “proactively plan for the realities of tomorrow.”

The follow-up fundraising pitch comes after a poll commissioned by Florida Politics, taken by St. Pete Polls, that found Gabbard at just 6% support amid a crowded Primary field.

While that was among the best results for declared candidates, it was far below support uncovered in the survey for incumbent Mayor Ken Welch and likely challenger Charlie Crist, a former Florida Governor and U.S. Representative. Crist had the strongest support, at 23%, with Welch trailing at 19%.

In a head-to-head matchup against Welch, the poll put Gabbard behind Welch, at 32% to 24%. But with more than 42% of respondents still undecided in that scenario — and nearly 42% undecided among the entire Primary field — candidates will need resources to ensure voter outreach engages those who can be swayed.

Most of the candidates in the race, like Gabbard, entered in the first quarter of 2026, meaning they have not yet filed finance reports. Both Crist and Welch have, though.

Crist, who has not yet officially entered the race, has a major advantage, with more than $1 million banked in a committee that will ultimately support his bid. Welch, meanwhile, entered January with just $32,000, a low sum compounded by both a stagnant fourth quarter of 2025, with just $48,000 raised, and the theft of more than $200,000 from an affiliated political committee.

While Gabbard’s first finance report will offer plenty of insight, there’s one piece of information it won’t reveal: the amount she raises from her official campaign kickoff, which isn’t until April 7.

Campaign kickoffs are often a key opportunity to raise a lot of cash, and fast.

Gabbard is having hers at the 15th Street Farm, located at 342 15th St. North, at 5:30 p.m., next Tuesday.

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