Advertisement

Pinellas congressional race heats up with likely entrance of Mulhern, Rice

 
Former Tampa City Council member Mary Mulhern plans to move to St. Petersburg soon
Former Tampa City Council member Mary Mulhern plans to move to St. Petersburg soon
Published June 25, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG — The race for the Democratic nomination in the 13th District has gone from the slow cooker to the frying pan.

Earlier this week, just as former Obama administration official and St. Petersburg native Eric Lynn officially kicked off his campaign, St. Petersburg City Council member Darden Rice said she was seriously considering a run against Republican incumbent David Jolly, surprising former Tampa City Council member Mary Mulhern, who said she wouldn't have entered the primary race if she had known Rice was planning a run.

Rice, 45, serving her first term on the council, positioned herself Wednesday as the local candidate. She cited past Democratic failures — most recently Alex Sink's 2014 candidacy — as cautionary tales of political carpetbaggers who don't manage to win over voters in Pinellas County.

"There is no doubt there is a long record of failure of candidates who just decide to move from D.C. or Hillsborough County," Rice said. "One candidate (Lynn) moved here in December and is still unpacking boxes and hanging pictures and another (Mulhern) is becoming familiar with Pinellas County through a house search on Zillow," Rice said.

Local bona fides notwithstanding, Rice has had conversations with groups with deep pockets in Washington, D.C., notably Emily's List and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Rice said she would make a final decision in early July.

Mulhern said Rice's sudden announcement on Monday night reflected her character and contradicted a conversation a couple of weeks ago.

"I was surprised, but I kind of figure, that tells us what kind of candidate she is, what kind of person she is, that she can say one thing and mean something else," Mulhern said.

Mulhern said she had contemplated moving to Pinellas for the past 2½ months and had been meeting with grass roots groups. She intends to buy a house within the next six months in St. Petersburg. She has a son in high school.

She told the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday morning that she planned to file immediately.

Rice responded that when Mulhern told her she was planning to move to St. Petersburg, it caught her off-guard.

Elected to the council in 2013, Rice said she didn't want to give her municipal office up while she runs for a federal post.

Rice met with the City Attorney's Office on Wednesday to make sure she didn't have to resign, according to her campaign.

As for Lynn, he's been campaigning for awhile, consultant Bill Burton said, and raising money. "People will be impressed" by the war chest at the next filing, Burton said.

Officially, at least, Lynn graciously welcomed his new likely competitors.

"Anyone is certainly welcome to join this race but I'm proud of the grassroots support I have that includes the leadership of all of our local Democratic clubs and political leadership from around district as I put together the resources needed to beat David Jolly next November," Lynn said in a statement.

Times staff writers Emily McConville and Kirby Wilson contributed to this report. Contact Charlie Frago at cfrago@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8459. Follow @CharlieFrago.