.jpg "Arlington voters will elect a new mayor on May 2.")
Arlington voters will elect a new mayor on May 2.
Rachel Royster
rroyster@star-telegram.com
Arlington Mayor Jim Ross is leading in his bid for a third term, according to unofficial early voting results.
Jim Ross had 49.11% of the vote, Steve Cavender had 40.88%, Hunter Crow had 5.11% and Shaun Mallory had 4.81%.
A runoff election on June 13 will be triggered if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.
Three candidates are running to unseat Ross, who was first elected in 2021, for a three-year term.
During Ross’ time as mayor, Arlington has seen the opening of the National Medal of Honor Museum, the redevelopment of the Lincoln Square shopping center, a major plan to redevelop the downtown entertainment district, and recently, a $273 million deal to keep the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington through 2055. Arlington has also faced a $20 million budget shortfall, which Ross said was brought on by changes to the Tarrant Appraisal District’s reappraisal process.
Hunter Crow is a health law librarian who told the Star-Telegram that his campaign priorities are public transportation, street maintenance, and police brutality.
Steve Cavender is a real estate developer who told the Star-Telegram that his campaign priorities are Arlington’s fiscal responsibility, public safety, and transparency.
Shaun Mallory owns Daesy’s Tropical Sno on Little Road. He did not answer the Star-Telegram’s candidate questionnaire, but in candidate panels, he has mostly said that his policies would defer to the opinions of voters.
The mayoral race has been colored by comments made between Cavender and Ross. During the Star-Telegram editorial board interview, Ross accused Cavender of being a “puppet” for former Arlington mayor Jeff Williams, Ross’ immediate predecessor.
Arlington voters will also elect four new City Council members.
In the race for the District 3 council seat, incumbent Nikkie Hunter is leading with 72.79% of the vote, and Kelly Burke trailing with 27.21% of the vote.
In the race for the District 4 council seat — which current council member Andrew Piel is termed out of — Tom Ware is leading with 53.16% of the vote, Rojo Meixueiro is in second place with 24.06% of the vote, and Lisa J. Ventura is in last place with 22.78% of the vote.
In the race for the District 5 council seat, incumbent Rebecca Boxall is currently leading with 45.59% of the vote, and Brittney Garcia-Dumas close behind with 54.41% of the vote.
In the race for the District 5 council seat — which Dr. Barbara Odom-Wesley is termed out of — Jason Shelton is leading with 38.06% of the vote, Melody Fowler is in second place with 47.38% of the vote, and Corey Harris is in last place with 14.56% of the vote.
Ross gathered with family members, friends, and voters at J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill in Arlington Saturday night as the crowd awaited results.
The event was a call for unity, he said, after a contentious race against Cavender.
Arlington voters at the watch party said that they were looking forward to an end to the controversies.
“I have found this election cycle to be very, very disappointing, and I don’t like seeing the division that it has caused in our city,” said Arlington resident Cara Hackley. “We see it on a national stage. I don’t like it there, and I don’t like it here.”
Hunter Crow posted a statement to his Facebook at around 9:30 p.m. thanking voters for their support and announcing that he would likely run for other local offices.
“I would like to thank everyone for those that supported my candidacy during this cycle for Mayor of Arlington,” Crow wrote. “Regardless of the outcome of this election. I will never stop caring for this city and will continue fighting for it.”
Crow did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
⭐Star-Telegram election coverage
This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 7:09 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Emily Holshouser is a local news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.