Andrea Horwath has officially entered the race for mayor of Hamilton in the upcoming municipal election on October 26. While Horwath had previously declared her candidacy, she had not completed the necessary paperwork to be formally listed as a candidate. However, she is now officially recognized as a candidate on the city’s website.
In a news release, Horwath highlighted the challenges faced by the city over the past four years, including issues such as housing, homelessness, cost of living, and infrastructure underinvestment. She acknowledged that while not all problems have been solved, progress has been made in addressing these issues. Horwath mentioned that more details about her campaign will be shared in the future.
During a news conference on Friday, Horwath emphasized her achievements in advancing significant projects that were previously stagnant, such as the Hamilton LRT, Jamesville affordable housing redevelopment, and TD Coliseum. Looking ahead, she expressed a desire to enhance cybersecurity measures following the 2024 cyberattack on city systems, which prompted improvements in digital services but requires further attention to make public services more accessible online.
Horwath, who formerly led the Ontario New Democratic Party, narrowly won the mayoral race in 2022, defeating Keanin Loomis by a margin of approximately 1,600 votes. She will once again compete against Loomis and other challengers in the upcoming election. Notably, since the city’s amalgamation in 2000, only one mayor, Fred Eisenberger, has been reelected for consecutive terms in 2014 and 2018.
Several candidates are vying for the mayoral position 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 election, promising various initiatives and reforms if elected. Nomination forms for candidates are due by 2 p.m. on August 21.
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