ABOVE: Darden Rice at St. Petersburg City Hall Jan. 12. Photo by Dylan Todd.
ST. PETERSBURG | Equality Florida Action PAC endorsed Darden Rice for mayor May 10, joining other LGBTQ-focused organizations in supporting the current St. Petersburg city councilmember’s campaign.
As the political arm of Florida’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, the PAC is dedicated to electing pro-equality candidates throughout every level of the state’s government. They cited Rice’s leadership on LGBTQ rights, reproductive freedom, gun safety reform and more in their endorsement.
Rice announced her historic campaign to succeed the term-limited Mayor Rick Kriseman Jan. 12. If elected, she would become St. Petersburg’s 54th but first openly LGBTQ mayor next year.
“My candidacy is a historic first,” Rice told Watermark after her announcement. “I would be the city’s first openly gay mayor and that’s something I’m excited about, and that I’m proud of, but it’s not why I’m running … I am excited about this year to show that I am the best candidate for mayor – to be everybody’s mayor and to serve everyone.”
Rice was first elected to represent St. Petersburg’s District 4 in 2013, a seat she retained in 2017 with more than 72% of the vote. She also became the first openly LGBTQ candidate to run for public office in Pinellas County in 2005.
“Councilmember Rice has been a progressive champion on the issues that matter most to the people of St. Petersburg since she was elected to her first term in 2013,” Equality Florida Senior Political Director Joe Saunders shared.
“We’re very excited about Darden becoming the first LGBTQ mayor of St. Pete,” he continued, “but what’s even more exciting is her vision for and plan to create a more equitable city for everyone.”
“Equality Florida has been a lifesaver for the LGBTQ community in our state,” Rice responded to the news. “This organization has been on the front lines protecting people’s rights and standing up for the most vulnerable among us for years.
“I can have the family I have today in part because of their advocacy work,” she concluded. “That’s why this endorsement means so much to me.”
Shortly after announcing her campaign, Rice was also endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund. As the nation’s only organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, the group stressed that “we must increase LGBTQ representation not because we desire power for its own sake, but because it leads to pro-equality policies that improve the lives of LGBTQ people.”
LPAC, the only organization focused on electing LGBTQ women nationwide, followed in March. They seek candidates who advocate for LGBTQ and women’s equality, health and social justice, noting that Rice fit the bill for her “proven record of implementing progressive change.”
Former State Rep. Wengay Newton, former Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch and others have also filed to run for St. Petersburg mayor, with a primary election scheduled for Aug. 24. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to the general election on Nov. 2.
For more information about Rice’s campaign, visit DardenRice.com. For more information about Equality Florida Action PAC, visit EQFLPAC.org.
