Carolyn DiPaoloCity commissioner begins campaign for open seat more than two years before election day. County Commissioner Gregg Weiss will oppose her.
Christina Lambert has unveiled her campaign strategy: clear the field.
The West Palm Beach city commissioner announced Tuesday that she is running for mayor, a seat that will not come open until March 2027.
“I am filing early to show you I am serious,” she told a crowd of about 100 people at The Park golf course in her commission district in the south end of West Palm Beach.
Palm Beach County Commissioner Gregg Weiss announced Tuesday that he will run against her.
Why it matters: Candidates want to be first so they can line up pledges of support before others enter the race. Running against a well-financed candidate is meant to turn away challengers.
- Weiss’ decision to enter the race now aims to counter that approach.
It may be too late: Lambert already has received $252,000 from a political committee, Citizens for Law Order and Ethics, run by her campaign consultant, Rick Asnani of Cornerstone Solutions. The money went to a committee named Friends of Christina Lambert.
And Lambert has lined up endorsements, including:
- Term-limited Mayor Keith James, who called her “the best choice to be the next mayor.”
- The West Palm Beach Association of Firefighters.
- The West Palm Beach police union, the Fraternal Order of Police.
Behind the scenes: Asnani’s firm has been behind the winner of the last four West Palm Beach mayoral races. James won a four-year term in 2023 without an opponent after a court ruled that restaurateur Rodney Mayo didn’t meet residency requirements.
Lambert focused on her experience in the private sector and government. She is chief administrative officer at the personal-injury law firm of Gordon & Partners and in her fourth term as city commissioner.
Weiss made his announcement on Facebook. “Honestly, if they had not done this, I wouldn’t be announcing,” he told Stet News in an interview Tuesday. “But I wanted people to know that they will have a choice.”
Yes but: While Lambert’s strong-out-of-the-gate strategy won’t stave off Weiss’ entry, it could help avoid a wider field.
Of note: Failed state attorney’s candidate Sam Stern raised $1.4 million for last November’s election with help from billionaires aligned with President-elect Donald Trump, journalist Jason Garcia reported.
I am a co-founder, writer and editor for Stet News. I am also a former senior editor at The Palm Beach Post. For 20 years, I oversaw some of the most consequential stories published by the paper, including the “Corruption County” reporting project that led to multiple arrests of elected officials. I am a member of the Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2013. I live in West Palm Beach with my husband, Bill DiPaolo.
