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St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch is endorsing Rep. Michele Rayner for re-election in the state House.
The pair have both broken barriers upon their respective elections. Welch became St. Petersburg’s first Black Mayor in 2021, and Rayner is the first openly gay Black woman in the Florida Legislature.
“Rayner has been a champion for the people of Pinellas County since well before she was elected to serve in the Florida House,” Welch said.
Rayner faces former Democratic Rep. Wengay Newton for the HD 62 seat. Newton ran an unsuccessful mayoral campaign in 2021, pitting him against Welch in the Primary.
– Kelly Hayes, Florida Politics