Ben Diamond message tests possible run against Ken Welch for Mayor

Former state Rep. Ben Diamond is mulling a bid for St. Petersburg Mayor, and he’s testing messaging before he decides whether to challenge incumbent Ken Welch.

A survey went to voters this week, according to screenshots obtained by Florida Politics.

But Diamond acknowledged he’s the one asking questions. He said he’s still in “the fact-finding phase.”

The survey offers positives for both men, but negatives for only Welch, and it describes Diamond as a white man, and Welch as a Black man, a move likely meant to test whether a white candidate can successfully challenge the city’s first Black Mayor.

– Janelle Irwin, Florida Politics