Rice and supporters kicked off her campaign on Tuesday night at St. Pete's Flying Boat Brewing. Her challenger is Jerick Johnston, a relative unknown on the local political scene, especially compared to Rice, who was first elected in 2013 after years of activism and community involvement.
Name recognition, an extensive record, a knack for healthy fundraising within Democratic circles and incumbency are all huge advantages, but Rice said Tuesday she's not taking any chances with this one.
“They say that there's two ways to run: run as if you're unopposed, or run like you're behind. And I am going to run my race as if I'm behind. I have seen too many campaigns — we all have — who've made the mistake of getting overconfident and lazy because they've underestimated their opponent. And I do not have that mindset,” she told supporters.
Since she took office, Rice has been among the council's most stalwart progressives and, along with Councilman Karl Nurse, who was in attendance Tuesday, has taken a more aggressive approach toward adopting meaningful environmental policies, passing worker protections and curbing monied interest influence in special elections.
“This is a person who cares about the environment, who believes in science," said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman as he introduced her.
The crowd laughed and clapped at that last part.
"Isn't it amazing that we actually have to say that?," Kriseman continued. "[Rice has] spent years on the issue and didn't just come to the table.”
Although Rice probably won't have much trouble fending off her challenger, Kriseman's reelection bid has proven tough. He faces an aggressive challenge from popular former Mayor Rick Baker, who is aided by both a tsunami of Republican money and substantial support on St. Pete's predominantly African-American south side, an area where Democrats tend to clean up in partisan races. But since this is not ostensibly a partisan race, Kriseman's Democratic cred and Baker's GOP ties don't necessarily predetermine the race's outcome, if the lead-up to the August 29 primary is any indication. Kriseman unexpectedly squeaked past Baker that night by some 70 votes, but there were four other candidates in the race. It's unclear how, or even if, supporters of the four defunct candidacies will vote in the general.
As a strong ally of Kriseman, Rice said there is "too much at stake" for supporters to rest on their laurels, that if current elected leadership abruptly changes this year, St. Petersburg could lose momentum on everything from the South St. Petersburg CRA to the city's climate change resiliency efforts.
“We've got to do everything we can do, because a vote for me is an affirmation of the direction of our city. So let's go with gusto," Rice said. "Let's not slow down. Let's show the firm power a pragmatic and progressive politics in our city and let's slam the door shut and finish with a flourish, because this is very, very important.”
While Rice's seat represents District 4, which encompasses areas due north of downtown, including Old Northeast and Allendale, she'll be on the ballot citywide. So will candidates in the two other council races on the ballot this year, which are District 2 (Brandi Gabbard vs. Barclay Harless) and District 6 (Justin Bean vs. Gina Driscoll).
The election is November 7; domestic mail ballots go out in early October.
This article appears in Sep 14-21, 2017.