Bill Foster is definitely feeling the heat from Rick Kriseman.
The mayor has criticized his former City Council colleague for bringing partisanship into the race, specifically for having the state Democratic Party contribute to his campaign coffers (to the tune of $30,000).
But with just five days before next Tuesday's primary, Foster is taking things a step further by laying out specific examples of contributions that Kriseman is making to out of town vendors.
"Follow the money and one can see where Mr. Kriseman’s allegiances lie," Foster said in a statement. "Alarmingly, they are not in the city of St. Petersburg. The large percentage of money that is both flowing in from out-of-town and going out-of-town is vast."
Foster then said that as of today, "a full three-quarters of campaign money he has raised has come from interests outside our city … even more troubling, over 70% of his campaign spending is flowing back out to out-of-town businesses and consultants."
In response, Kriseman's campaign manager Cesar Fernandez said Foster is desperate and his attacks are "petty."
"He is one of the least popular mayors in Florida and a majority of the voters in St. Petersburg have lined up behind another candidate in this race," Fernandez said in a statement, adding that Kriseman is "the only candidate who has broad bipartisan support in this race."
Foster's statement comes hours after Kriseman received two high-profile endorsements: the first from City Councilwoman Leslie Curran last night and the second from Sen. Bill Nelson this morning.
A St.Pete Poll conducted earlier this week showed the two candidates in a near dead heat, with Kathleen Ford in a distant third. If that scenario plays out after Tuesday, it will no doubt be an intense battle until November, with Foster fighting intensely to win his bid for re-election.
This article appears in Aug 22-28, 2013.