Rick Kriseman, new mayor-elect of St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida, just elected a progressive mayor! Not just a Democrat but Rick Kriseman is a progressive and the first Democrat elected St. Petersburg mayor in 20 years! How important is this? This means that all the mayors along the bellwether I-4 corridor, the most purple area in one of the most purple swing states, will all be Democrats. It's said that whoever takes the I-4 corridor takes Florida and whoever takes Florida takes the country.
This portends well for the special election in March to choose the successor to the recently deceased C. W. Young, R-13, as R-13 includes northern St. Petersburg. The way has been cleared for Alex Sink, who lost a run for Florida governor in a very close election to Rick Scott, to run in the special election on March 11.
The significance of this election to the Florida governor's election in 2014 was not lost on the declared candidates: the incumbent Rick Scott (R) and newly announced Democrat Charlie Crist. They each campaigned in St. Petersburg; Crist for Democrat Kriseman and Scott for the Republican incumbent Foster.
This win is a great example of the success that can be achieved when an area pulls out all stops to get out the vote. Democrats have a slight population advantage in St. Petersburg so it was necessary to get as many as possible to the polls. In Rick Kriseman they did have a great candidate, but polls showed that many were satisfied with the direction of the city.
Let's pat ourselves on the back and enjoy this one.