Whether Obama will campaign in St. Petersburg in the coming months is unclear, but Kriseman’s campaign is sure to use him in paid media. | AP Photo Obama makes rare endorsement in crucial St. Petersburg race

Former President Barack Obama is intervening in a bellwether Florida election, endorsing St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman in the hopes of juicing Democratic turnout in Tuesday’s multi-candidate race in order to force a November run-off, sources tell POLITICO.

Obama’s rare endorsement is crucial both for Kriseman — who has been bleeding support from African-American voters — and for a demoralized Florida Democratic Party that’s still reeling over President Donald Trump’s surprise win in November.


The state Democratic Party has made Kriseman’s reelection a priority and has tried to make the unpopular Trump a millstone to weigh down the frontrunner, Republican candidate Rick Baker, a former mayor of the Tampa Bay-area city. According to some polls, Baker is close to exceeding 50 percent of the vote, which would hand him the seat outright without the need for a Nov. 7 runoff.

This year, Obama has endorsed in just one other mayoral race, in Los Angeles, although his support wasn’t really needed by incumbent Eric Garcetti. Obama also endorsed in one other notable race, France’s presidential contest, where he backed the winner, Emmanuel Macron.

In St. Petersburg, however, Obama’s candidate is in trouble. In a draft statement obtained by POLITICO, Obama said he was endorsing Kriseman because of his policy positions.

“From raising the minimum wage and fighting for equality, to bold leadership on climate change, Rick was a great ally on the priorities of my administration. I strongly endorse Rick Kriseman as the only choice for continued progress for St. Petersburg,” Obama said in his statement, which credits Kriseman for taking “on big challenges to move St. Pete forward.”

Whether Obama will campaign in St. Petersburg in the coming months is unclear, but Kriseman’s campaign is sure to use him in paid media.

The statement notes that Kriseman, as mayor, “took on the [Obama] White House's challenge to end veteran homelessness, increased the minimum wage and paid parental leave for city workers, and has pledged to uphold the standards of the Paris climate agreement,” which Trump has rejected. Kriseman also helped launch Obama’s “My Brother's Keeper” initiative in the city and was a vocal supporter of Obamacare.

"Mayor Kriseman is honored to have the support of former President Obama," the campaign said in a written statement after this story was first posted. "Kriseman was an early endorser of then Senator Obama, and they've worked closely since to bring real progress to St Petersburg. This makes it clear to voters that the only progressive choice in this race is Rick Kriseman."

Beyond the St. Petersburg mayoral race, Florida Democrats and the Republican Party of Florida are dumping money and manpower into a special election for Florida’s 40th Senate District. That Miami-area swing seat is also seen by insiders as a test case for the strength of the parties and as a dry run for the 2018 midterms, which Democrats want to make into a referendum on Trump.

On a purely personal political level, Obama’s Kriseman endorsement doubles as a payback for the former president. In early 2008, Kriseman was one of the first elected officials to endorse the then-longshot U.S. senator in Florida, where Obama lost badly to Hillary Clinton. Plus, Baker in 2008 was a campaign surrogate for Obama’s opponent, Sen. John McCain, and his running mate, Sarah Palin, who is widely reviled in Democratic circles.

In contrast to his full-throated support for McCain nine years ago, Baker “is running as a stealth Republican,” according to a Democrat connected to Kriseman’s campaign who provided the endorsement to POLITICO. “If Donald Trump came to St. Pete, Baker would wake up in the dead of night screaming and running away.”

A Democratic Party poll indicates Trump’s approval numbers are the inverse of Obama’s in the city. Trump has the support of just 37 percent of voters while 61 percent disapprove of the president. Obama is supported by 61 percent of the city’s voters, with 35 percent disapproving. Obama’s biggest support is among African-American voters, who back him 92-8.

An internal Democratic Party memo last month found that “many problems in the African American community remain [for Kriseman]. Some feel that Mayor Kriseman ignored this community during his term and the sewage issue was the last straw. In addition, Kriseman’s administration has not done the best job to amplify ways that he’s helped the African-American community.”

Since then, Kriseman has shored up his base among black voters, Democrats say. As a result, the polls show, Kriseman now trails Baker by 3 percentage points instead of the 11-point deficit he had last month.

“The reality is Obama is popular in this district and Trump is toxic,” said a Democrat familiar with the race and the polls. “All we have to do is get this to a runoff. We need this win.”

UPDATED at 11:30 a.m. with statement from Kriseman.