St Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman Headed For A Runoff Election

Former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker and current Mayor Rick Kriseman apparently aren't finished duking it out as voters virtually split their decision on which of them should lead the Tampa Bay city next term.

Voters sent the two Ricks into a November runoff Tuesday, when neither candidate reached the necessary 50 percent or more of the vote. 

Kriseman took a little over 48 percent while the challenger , also took a little over 48 percent of the vote.

Despite not being a partisan race technically, Kriseman had significant help from the Democratic Party in recent weeks, which helped propel his campaign forward leading up to Tuesday. 

 President Obama endorsed Kriseman, calling him the "only choice" for continued progress in St. Petersburg. 

READ MORE HERE ON OBAMA ENDORSEMENT 

“As mayor of St. Petersburg, Rick Kriseman has taken on big challenges to move St. Pete forward,” Obama said in a news release. “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."

Nearly 80,000 voters in St. Petersburg are registered Democrats, while a little over 47,000 are registered Republicans. 

The Florida Democratic Party accredited Baker's performance with an "adherence" to President Donald Trump's "harmful" agenda.

"Under the Trump White House, we can't afford Republicans like Rick Baker who are complicit in every harmful policy this President enacts," said FDP spokesperson Johanna Cervone. "Baker will never challenge Donald Trump because he would lose the support of the GOP special interests that fund his campaign."

Cervone said Kriseman's reputation as a strong progressive was what helped push his numbers on Election Day. 

"It's why Democrats like President Obama endorsed the mayor," she said.