Nominations for the October 2026 Municipal Election opened on May 1 and will end on Aug. 21 at 2 pm.
Nomination details can be found here.
So far, the City of Hamilton’s candidate dashboard shows that 28 candidates have registered to run for a spot on council.
MAYOR
Sasha Austin
Ejaz Butt
Rob Cooper
Scarlett Gillespie
Keanin Loomis
Keanin Loomis, who almost beat Andrea Horwath in the 2022 municipal election, has registered to run for mayor yet again.
An October 2025 poll from Liaison Strategies indicates that Loomis is the favourite to win the mayoral race.
Councillor Rob Cooper has also registered to run. His campaign will be focused on “keeping taxes affordable, tackling violent crime, confronting the housing crisis and repairing and rebuilding infrastructure.”
Cooper says he has 13 professional designations and degrees, including a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) and a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) certification.
Also running is sex work activist Scarlett Gillespie, who also goes by the name Jelena Vermilion.
Horwath is also expected to run again.
Meanwhile, other candidates whose names have been floated around for mayor include former City Councillor and Member of Parliament Chad Collins, former Hamilton Tiger-Cat Peter Dyakowski, former mayoral candidate Vito Sgro, and Councillor Mike Spadafora.
WARD 1 – CHEDOKE-COOTES-WESTDALE
Maureen Wilson
So far, incumbent Councillor Maureen Wilson is the only candidate to register in Ward 1.
She won in 2022 with 74.96 per cent of the vote.
WARD 2 – DOWNTOWN HAMILTON
Eisham Abdulkarim
Dan Myles
Kelly Oucharek
Tony Sciara
While incumbent Councillor Cameron Kroetsch has not yet registered to run, he is expected to put his name forward again.
In 2022, Kroetsch beat out incumbent Jason Farr with 49.25 per cent of the vote compared to Farr’s 32.83 per cent.
Farr announced that he will be running in Ward 4 against incumbent Councillor Tammy Hwang.
WARD 3 – EAST HAMILTON CENTRE
Christine Cayuga
Andrew Selman
Graham Schreiber
Incumbent Councillor Nrinder Nann is expected to run again but has not yet registered.
Local analyst and auditor Andrew Selman, who has frequently delegated to Hamilton City Council in recent years, has registered to take her on.
Nann won in 2022 with 50.33 per cent of the vote.
WARD 4 – HAMILTON EAST
Todd Anderson
Tammy Hwang
After Sam Merulla’s retirement, Tammy Hwang won an 11-candidate race in Ward 4 with only 23 per cent of the vote.
Jason Farr, who was previously a Councillor in Ward 2, announced that he will be running.
WARD 5 – HAMILTON EAST-STONEY CREEK
Matt Francis
Matt Francis won an 11-candidate race in Ward 5 in 2022 with 43.61 per cent of the vote.
So far, no other candidates have registered to take him on.
WARD 6 – EAST MOUNTAIN
No candidates have registered yet in Ward 6. Councillor Tom Jackson is expected to run again.
Jackson won in 2022 with 63.45 per cent of the vote.
WARD 7 – CENTRAL MOUNTAIN
Mark Daly
Esther Pauls
Former secondary school principal Mark Daly will be taking on incumbent Esther Pauls.
Pauls won in 2022 with 50.91 per cent of the vote.
WARD 8 – WEST/CENTRAL MOUNTAIN
Jacob ten Brinke
In the race to replace Rob Cooper, who is running for mayor, political consultant and President of the Hamilton Mountain Conservative Association Jacob ten Brinke has registered to run.
WARD 9 – UPPER STONEY CREEK
Abhijeet Gill
Jonathan Stathakos
Incumbent Councillor Brad Clark is expected to run again. He won in 2022 with 51.56 per cent of the vote in a four-candidate race.
Jonathan Stathakos, who was Campaign Manager for Conservative Member of Parliament Ned Kuruc in 2025, will be challenging for the seat.
WARD 10 – STONEY CREEK-FRUITLAND-WINONA
Jeff Beattie
Beattie won in 2022 with 39.69 per cent of the vote in a three-candidate race.
WARD 11 – GLANBROOK-BINBROOK-MOUNT HOPE
No candidates have registered yet to run. Incumbent Councillor Mark Tadeson won in 2022 with 37.99 per cent of the vote.
Runner-up Nick Lauwers had 36.88 per cent of the vote.
WARD 12 – ANCASTER-WEST FLAMBOROUGH
Fred Bennink
Business owner and former Hamilton Police Board Member and Hamilton Police Auxiliary Officer Fred Bennink registered to take on incumbent Councillor Craig Cassar.
Cassar won a 10-candidate race in 2022 with 38.80 per cent of the vote.
WARD 13 – DUNDAS-CENTRAL FLAMBOROUGH
Rick Kunc
Loren Lieberman
Incumbent Councillor Alex Wilson announced that he will not be seeking re-election.
Wilson beat incumbent Arlene VanderBeek in 2022 in a head-to-head race. It is unclear if she intends to run again.
WARD 14 – WEST MOUNTAIN
Kojo Damptey
Local activist and former Ontario NDP candidate Kojo Damptey, registered once again for the Ward 14 Council seat.
Incumbent Mike Spadafora is expected to run again. He beat out Damptey in 2022 with 28.48 per cent of the vote compared to Damptey’s 27.62 per cent.
WARD 15 – EAST FLAMBOROUGH-WATERDOWN
Chase Alford
Zac Wrobel
Two candidates have registered so far to take on incumbent Councillor Ted McMeekin.
McMeekin won in 2022 with 43.83 per cent of the vote.
Zobia Jawed was second with 34.76 per cent.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
