Andrea Horwath has officially thrown her hat into the ring for the upcoming Hamilton mayoral race scheduled for October 26. While Horwath had previously declared her candidacy for re-election, she had not completed the necessary paperwork to be formally listed as a candidate. This changed on Friday afternoon when her candidacy was officially recognized on the city’s website.
In a press release, Horwath acknowledged the significant challenges Hamilton has faced over the past four years, including a housing crisis, increasing cost of living, and inadequate infrastructure investment. She expressed pride in the progress made in addressing these issues, although she emphasized that work still remains to be done. Horwath hinted at sharing more details about her campaign in the future.
During a news conference on Friday afternoon, Horwath highlighted her efforts in advancing major projects that were previously stagnant, such as the Hamilton LRT, Jamesville affordable housing redevelopment, and TD Coliseum. She also mentioned cybersecurity as an area needing improvement, particularly in light of the 2024 cyberattack that impacted city systems. Horwath noted the enhancements made to digital tools post-attack but stressed the importance of further improving online public services accessibility.
Horwath narrowly won the mayoral race in 2022, besting Keanin Loomis by approximately 1,600 votes. The upcoming election will see a rematch between Horwath and Loomis, alongside other contenders. Since the amalgamation in 2000, Hamilton has re-elected only one mayor for consecutive terms: Fred Eisenberger, who secured victories in 2014 and 2018.
The list of current mayoral candidates in Hamilton includes Sasha Austin, Ejaz Butt, Rob Cooper, Paul Fromm, Scarlett Gillespie, Andrea Horwath, Keanin Loomis, Pamela Mitchell, Kevin Walker, and Nathalie Xian Yi Yan. Each candidate brings unique backgrounds and platforms to the race, promising an engaging and competitive election. Nomination forms for candidates are due by 2 p.m. on August 21.