2021 St. Petersburg, Florida, mayoral election

The 2021 St. Petersburg, Florida, mayoral election was held on August 24, 2021, with a runoff on November 2 because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the first round. It elected the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. Incumbent Democratic mayor Rick Kriseman was term-limited and could not seek a third term in office. Municipal elections in St. Petersburg are officially nonpartisan. Former Pinellas County commissioner Ken Welch easily defeated city councilor Robert Blackmon in the runoff. Candidates eliminated in the first round included city councilor Darden Rice, former state representative Wengay Newton, and restaurateur Pete Boland. Welch took office in January 2022, becoming the first black mayor of St. Petersburg.

Democratic Party

 * Michael Ingram, political science major at the University of South Florida
 * Wengay Newton, former state representative, former city councilor, and candidate for the Pinellas County commission in 2020
 * Marcile Powers, small business owner
 * Darden Rice, city councilor
 * Ken Welch, former Pinellas County commissioner

Republican Party

 * Robert Blackmon, city councilor
 * Pete Boland, restaurateur

Independents

 * Torry Nelson, teacher

Did not file

 * Paul Congemi, singer-songwriter and perennial candidate (party affiliation: Republican)
 * Michael Levinson, poet and perennial candidate (party affiliation: Independent)  (ran a write-in campaign)
 * Vincent Nowicki, realtor (party affiliation: Independent)

Declined

 * Rick Baker, former mayor (party affiliation: Republican) (endorsed Newton, then Blackmon)
 * Jeff Brandes, state senator (party affiliation: Republican) (endorsed Blackmon)
 * Ed Montanari, chair of the St. Petersburg City Council (party affiliation: Republican)

Candidates

 * Robert Blackmon (R), city councilor
 * Ken Welch (D), former Pinellas County commissioner

Polling

 * with Robert Blackmon and Darden Rice


 * with Darden Rice and Ken Welch

Endorsements
Endorsements in bold were made after the general election.