TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Bob Buckhorn announced he will be running to become Tampa’s next mayor. He is now the 10th person seeking to become the city’s top elected official.
“This is one of the most diverse and really interesting lineups for the Tampa Bay mayoral race we’ve ever seen. We’ve seen an influencer to an actual mayor,” political expert Tara Newsom said.
Political analysts say that beating Buckhorn will prove difficult; he has a million dollars for his campaign, far more than any current candidate, and he left office with 75% favorability.
Buckhorn is credited with finishing the Tampa Riverwalk and creating a one-stop shop permitting process that enabled the city to grow.
“I’m running to build a city that’s the envy of the nation,” Bob Buckhorn said.
Mayor Jane Castor, who’s occupied the seat since 2019, can’t seek re-election because of term limits, and come next year, her seat will be up for grabs.
“We’ve seen a trend lately where there are a lot more people who are filing and running for offices. We just had the City of Tampa special election, and I think we had 12 or 13 qualified candidates for that seat,” said Craig Latimer, Supervisor of Elections.
People can still file to run for office until the end of the year, but come January, Tampa will see which candidates can qualify to be on the ballot.
Tara Newsom says the most important topics that will be on the voters’ minds are “affordability… transportation and of course, being prepared for a hurricane season.”
Experts say beating Buckhorn might be tough in this heated race.
“I think it’s really hard now that Bob Buckhorn has gotten into the race, to really compete against a two-time former mayor who left office with 75% favorability and $1 million in his campaign war chest,” Tara Newsom said.
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