A political committee supporting former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn has now raised more than $1.43 million, according to campaign finance reports, giving him a commanding early financial lead ahead of the March 2027 election.
Buckhorn, who led the city from 2011 to 2019, has yet to officially enter the contest to replace Mayor Jane Castor, who must leave due to term limits. But he has openly eyed his old job for months.
“You can feel the excitement in this community as we prepare for Tampa’s next chapter,” Buckhorn, 67, said in a news release. “That enthusiasm is reflected in these numbers. These are friends, neighbors, and people I’ve worked alongside for years who believe in this city and its future.”
Less than two years out from the nonpartisan election, the field is beginning to take shape.
Tampa City Council member Bill Carlson and Gary Hartfield, vice chairperson of the Hillsborough Transit Authority’s board of directors,are reportedly eyeing the race.
Carlson, a vocal critic of Buckhorn and Castor, said in a phone call Monday that he plans to “(roll) out” his campaign in “the next couple months.” He said he has not begun fundraising.
“Everywhere I go, people are running up to me asking me to run,” he said. “We need somebody who’s going to be close to the people and listen to the people, and also who has a business sense.”
Four candidates have officially entered the race. None has raised more than $500, according to campaign finance reports.
Julie Magill, a general contractor, filed to run in April and said she is “waiting for voters to start donating to me, and I am not interested in corporate donations.”
Alan Henderson, who announced his campaign in January 2025, said, “Money hasn’t been winning elections lately, even in Tampa.”
Two others, Khadim R. Abdi and Reginald B. Strachan, filed late last year. Abdi said he plans to begin fundraising in March. Strachan could not immediately be reached for comment.
Though Buckhorn has not yet joined the race, he told a Tampa Bay Times columnist last year that “the odds of me not running are very slim.” The political committee supporting him, Friends of Bob Buckhorn, was formed last March.
The former mayor got his start in Tampa politics four decades ago as a special assistant to then-Mayor Sandra Freedman. He served on the City Council from 1995 to 2003 before launching unsuccessful bids for mayor and the Hillsborough County Commission in the early 2000s.
As mayor, he led the city through a boom in downtown development, including the expansion of the Tampa Riverwalk.
The political committee, which raised more than $414,000 in the last quarter of 2025, has received several large donations.
They include $100,000 in September from a division of Vinik Sports Group, which manages the Tampa Bay Lightning and Benchmark International Arena; $50,000 in October from a company associated with Patrick Zalupski, the new managing partner of the Tampa Bay Rays; and $25,000 in August from a committee affiliated with Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. A number of Tampa-based real estate, development and investment companies have also donated.