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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can feel the excitement in this community as we prepare for Tampa\u2019s next chapter,\u201d Buckhorn, 67, said in a news release. \u201cThat enthusiasm is reflected in these numbers. These are friends, neighbors, and people I\u2019ve worked alongside for years who believe in this city and its future.\u201d<\/p>\n Less than two years out from the nonpartisan election, the field is beginning to take shape.<\/p>\n Tampa City Council member Bill Carlson and Gary Hartfield, vice chairperson of the Hillsborough Transit Authority\u2019s board of directors,are reportedly eyeing the race.<\/p>\n Carlson, a vocal critic of Buckhorn and Castor, said in a phone call Monday that he plans to \u201c(roll) out\u201d his campaign in \u201cthe next couple months.\u201d He said he has not begun fundraising.<\/p>\n \u201cEverywhere I go, people are running up to me asking me to run,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need somebody who\u2019s going to be close to the people and listen to the people, and also who has a business sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Four candidates have officially entered the race. None has raised more than $500, according to campaign finance reports.<\/p>\n Julie Magill, a general contractor, filed to run in April and said she is \u201cwaiting for voters to start donating to me, and I am not interested in corporate donations.\u201d<\/p>\n Alan Henderson, who announced his campaign in January 2025, said, \u201cMoney hasn\u2019t been winning elections lately, even in Tampa.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Though Buckhorn has not yet joined the race, he told a Tampa Bay Times columnist<\/a> last year that \u201cthe odds of me not running are very slim.\u201d The political committee supporting him, Friends of Bob Buckhorn, was formed last March.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n