During rally in St. Pete, Andrew Gillum contrasts Rick Kriseman to Rick Scott

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman‘s campaign — in a bruising battle for re-election against former Mayor Rick Baker — often invokes Donald Trump.

But Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum thinks there’s another Republican more apropos for comparison: Gov. Rick Scott.

“I know some people say it’s a non-partisan race. Well, let me tell you, when the governor of this state … the other Rick  — Rick Scott — decided he’s going to give $25,000 to Mr. Baker, I’m going to tell you right now, I’m going to stand on the side of Rick Kriseman,” Gillum told about 20 supporters at a get-out-the-vote rally Saturday morning at Kriseman’s Southside headquarters on 22nd Street.

Gillum is referring to a $25,000 campaign contribution from Let’s Get to Work, Scott’s PAC, to Baker’s political committee, Seamless Florida.

Kriseman supporters have referenced that contribution, as well as others by GOP interests, as a counterpoint to Baker’s claim that partisanship has no place in this local election.

“We have to make sure to send a very, very clear message that we reject the divisive, derisive politics of Donald Trump,” Gillum, one of four Democrats running for Governor in 2018, told the crowd.

“That we reject the $25,000 contribution that was given to this governor and his political organization to Rick Baker, and we’re going to make sure that the city of St. Pete stays in the hands of the people, not the powerful and the well-heeled, but the people.”

Kriseman started off by saying that he believes residents of St. Petersburg have never had as clear a choice for mayor as they do now.

The mayor also expressed concern that a Baker win could lead to a reversal of some of the policies he’s enacted since he was elected in 2013, comparing what could happen locally to what is happening in Washington D.C. this year with a change of administrations.

“You had a president who came into office, and it didn’t matter whether the policy worked or not because it had Obama’s name on it,” Kriseman said. “He was going to do everything in his power to get rid of that policy.”

“I worry about the same thing happening here in St. Pete.”

Baker has said that, if elected, he would definitely do some things differently than Kriseman, such as possibly re-opening the Albert Whitted sewage plant.

Kriseman specifically mentioned the city going backward on gay rights, an issue that began his campaign, and one his supporters tout as a significant difference between the two candidates.

It was an issue thoroughly reported when Baker entered the contest, mainly because during his tenure in office he declined to participate in any St. Pete Pride Festival, an event that has grown into the biggest of its kind in the Southeast.

(Baker did attend the Pride event this past summer).

“When you’ve got a candidate who in his history hasn’t celebrated diversity, he’s simply tolerated it, that’s not what we need in St. Pete. That’s not the kind of community that we want to see,” Kriseman intoned darkly.