Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch no longer has a challenger for his 2016 re-election bid. Sharon McManus, a no-party-affiliation candidate, withdrew her name from the race Tuesday.
The news comes shortly after Welch began his campaign and posted $5,000 in early contributions. McManus had posted just $72.90 indicating her bid may not have been serious from the get-go.
“I am thankful for the tremendous support that we’ve received since kicking off our campaign last week,” Welch said after learning his opponent had dropped out of the race. “We are looking forward to continuing our campaign for Progress in Pinellas.”
However, just because Welch is running unopposed as of right now doesn’t mean he’ll stay that way. The qualifying deadline for the General Election is not until June 24.
That gives Republicans plenty of time to seek out a new challenger. The Pinellas County Executive Committee has made re-gaining a Republican majority of the county commission one of its top 2016 priorities.
They lost the majority for the first time in a half-century in 2014 when Democrat Pat Gerard defeated former State Rep. Ed Hooper to replace Norm Roche, a Republican.
The local GOP has already launched a formidable campaign to unseat Commission Chairman Charlie Justice. Mike Mikurak has raised nearly three times as much as Justice with more than $73,000 in total contributions as of the end of January.
If Welch does draw a late challenger, McManus’s departure is still good news for him. Welch can hold off on spending while he awaits the qualifying deadline. Or he could dip into his cash on hand to ward off any potential challengers by establishing a firm grip on his District 7 seat.
Welch said he will continue to fundraise until the qualifying deadline. If he is elected without opposition he will refund contributions minus any expenses incurred during the campaign.
