Andrea Horwath has officially entered the race for Hamilton mayor ahead of the upcoming municipal election on October 26. While she had previously declared her intention to seek re-election, she had not submitted the necessary paperwork to be listed as an official candidate until Friday afternoon, when her candidacy was confirmed on the city’s website.
In a news release, Horwath reflected on the challenges faced by the city over the past four years, including issues like housing, homelessness, rising living costs, and infrastructure underinvestment. She acknowledged that while not all problems have been solved, significant progress has been made. Further details about her campaign will be shared at a later time.
During a news conference on Friday, Horwath highlighted her achievements in advancing major projects that were previously stagnant, such as the Hamilton LRT, Jamesville affordable housing redevelopment, and TD Coliseum. Looking ahead, she expressed a desire to improve cybersecurity measures following the city’s 2024 cyberattack, emphasizing the importance of enhancing digital services for residents.
Horwath, who led the Ontario New Democratic Party from 2009 to 2022, narrowly won the mayoral race in 2022, defeating Keanin Loomis by approximately 1,600 votes. She is set to face Loomis again in the upcoming election, along with several other challengers. Notably, since the city’s amalgamation in 2000, only one mayor, Fred Eisenberger, has been re-elected for consecutive terms in 2014 and 2018.
Several candidates are vying for the mayorship in Hamilton, including Sasha Austin, Ejaz Butt, Rob Cooper, Paul Fromm, Scarlett Gillespie, Keanin Loomis, Pamela Mitchell, Kevin Walker, and Nathalie Xian Yi Yan. Each candidate brings a unique background and platform to the race, with nomination forms due by 2 p.m. on August 21.