Council’s newest member Rob Cooper announces bid for Hamilton mayor
Cooper was elected as Ward 8 councillor in September.
Aura Carreño Rosas · CBC News
Posted: Mar 02, 2026
Ward 8 councillor Rob Cooper is running for mayor in Hamilton this October, he says.
Cooper was elected to council in a byelection last September.
He’s a chartered professional accountant with experience “overseeing budgets,” and a “lifelong” Hamiltonian, according to a news release announcing his bid on Sunday.
In January, Cooper told CBC Hamilton he still wasn’t completely sure on whether he would run for councillor again or mayor.
He felt shut out of the rate-supported water budget process due to the amount of power the mayor holds over budgetary issues in the strong mayor system, he said at the time.
If the process on the city’s tax-supported budget mirrored his experience with the water budget “it’s not going to work for me,” he said.
“I’m trying to keep an open mind and be collaborative,” he said, “but the way this is set up right now, if you want to make seismic change in a community like Hamilton, there’s only one way to do it — through being the mayor.”
People can officially sign up to run for mayor, or councillor, on May 1. Nominations close Aug. 21.
Cooper to face Andrea Horwath, Keanin Loomis
In the news release, Cooper said his platform will focus on “keeping taxes affordable, tackling violent crime, confronting the housing crisis, and repairing and rebuilding infrastructure,” as top priorities.
“Hamilton has the talent, location, industrial base, and entrepreneurial spirit to become the economic engine of Canada,” he said.
“With strong leadership, disciplined financial management, and a clear vision, we can unlock that potential and build a safer, more affordable, and more prosperous city for everyone.”
Cooper was elected after the previous Ward 8 councillor, John-Paul Danko, was elected as Liberal MP for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas in the federal election.
Cooper ran against 25 other candidates, setting the record for the most people running in one ward in Hamilton.
The mayoral run in Hamilton is already heating up, with Keanin Loomis announcing he’ll run again. He narrowly lost to Mayor Andrea Horwath in the last municipal election.
Loomis, who has lived in the city since 2009, was president of Hamilton’s Chamber of Commerce before the 2022 election. After the loss, he joined the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and then CISC.
Horwath also confirmed she’s running again.
The 2026 municipal elections will be held on Oct. 26.
