Bob Buckhorn becomes 10th candidate to enter Mayor’s race, will reach ‘every voter’

Bob Buckhorn is officially seeking to get his old job back. The former Tampa Mayor filed to run on Monday morning, promising to connect with every voter during his campaign.

“I’m excited,” Buckhorn beamed as he discussed his official entrance into the race.

“I think today starts the beginning of Tampa’s next chapter,” he told Florida Politics. “We’ve been looking forward to this for months.”

Buckhorn coordinated his filing with his overall campaign launch, including a new website and launch video. The video features about two and a half minutes of testimonials from Tampa residents, business owners and first responders praising Buckhorn’s leadership, and Buckhorn pledging continued support for all communities. The messaging is strategic — it centers on Buckhorn’s main campaign theme of lifting all areas of the city, a somewhat subtle nod to critiques he had faced in his first terms that progress was isolated to downtown Tampa, surrounding neighborhoods and the Hillsborough River.

Among those singing Buckhorn’s praises in the video are first responders, including Jace Kohan, a retired Tampa firefighter.

“We had a major fire on Seventh Avenue in Ybor City, one in the morning, two in the morning, Bob Buckhorn is still there,” Kohan said, with another retired firefighter, Tony Perez, adding that in “27 years on the job” he had “never done that with any Mayor.”

Others in the video praised Buckhorn as “the people’s Mayor” and someone who “is not scared of rolling up his sleeves.” Another praised Buckhorn for leading “not always in the ivory tower.”

The video also includes a touch of humor, with Buckhorn cracking a joke about aging since his first two terms in office.

“It’s a city that went through a lot. So yeah, it turned my hair white, but I’m OK with that,” he quipped.

The election will take place in just under a year, on March 2, 2027. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, a runoff will be held on April 27, 2027.

Buckhorn’s campaign will emphasize his proven leadership — Buckhorn previously served two terms as Mayor, from 2011 until 2019 — dedication to delivering real results for residents and stakeholders and commitment to ensuring Tampa’s bright future reaches every neighborhood.

He preceded Mayor Jane Castor, and now Buckhorn hopes to follow her in office. Tampa’s municipal code limits Mayors to two terms, but since Buckhorn has been out of office for two terms, he is allowed to run again.

Buckhorn faces a crowded field of candidates. Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak has already filed to run, and her colleague Bill Carlson is also expected to join the race.

Other candidates in the race are Ryan Edwards, Anthony Gilbert Jr., Gary Hartfield, Alan Henderson, Julie Magill, Tres Rodmon, Taryn Sabia, and Reginald Strachan.

He enters the race as the clear frontrunner. He already raised $1.8 million through his political committee, Friends of Bob Buckhorn, and still has almost all of it available.

Before Buckhorn entered the race, the top-funded candidate was Sabia, who raised just over $21,000. Hurtak raised less than $15,000. Carlson has not officially entered the race, but a supporting committee, Friends of Bill Carlson, has raised just over $35,000. Another organization formed in March could also support Carlson.

And candidates (not named Buckhorn) will need to work hard to boost name recognition, especially considering Buckhorn’s name is literally staring residents in the face every day — the Tampa River Center was renamed to honor Buckhorn in mid-2025.

Since the election is still more than 10 months away, there has not been much polling. However, a poll from last May showed Buckhorn as the clear frontrunner with 49% support. The poll included Carlson, Hurtak, then-state Sen. Jay Collins, and House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell. Carlson had 22% support, and Hurtak had 8%. Collins and Driskell are no longer running.

Voter opinions may have changed since then, and the poll included some people who will not be on the ballot. Still, it shows Buckhorn close to the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. If he does face a runoff, likely against Carlson, the poll suggests Buckhorn would win easily, with Carlson at 39% and him at 17%.

Still, Buckhorn is not taking anything for granted.

“I’m going to start talking to the people about what lies ahead,” he said.

Voters can expect him to continue the progress made in the city under both his and Castor’s leadership. Buckhorn told Florida Politics he wants to physically connect major waterfront amenities, many of which were started or finished while he was Mayor, such as Water Street, the Channel District, Gasworx, and Tampa Heights. He has already left his mark on Tampa by completing the city’s iconic Riverwalk.

His vision for a third nonconsecutive term goes further, as he promises to support historically underserved neighborhoods. In December, he told Florida Politics, “There aren’t guaranteed outcomes, but there ought to be guaranteed opportunities.”

Buckhorn is a well-known local Democrat, which is important in Tampa politics. The city has more than 79,000 registered Democrats and just over 62,000 Republicans. While voters often think about party affiliation in city elections, these races are nonpartisan, so a candidate’s party will not appear on the ballot.