Hamilton mayoral candidates rally supporters in final weekend before election

Three of Hamilton’s mayoral candidates made a final push to connect with voters on Saturday ahead of the municipal election on Oct. 26.

Mayor Andrea Horwath began her day at Victoria Park with a campaign event called Showing Up for Women Canvass, a nod to her historic election as Hamilton’s first female mayor.

The event brought together women who have been involved in the community for 30 to 40 years, whose experience and contributions to building Hamilton continue to inspire Horwath.

The event also coincided with the incumbent mayor’s birthday.

Joined by several women volunteers, she knocked on doors along Breadalbane Street, speaking with residents and distributing campaign flyers.

“With a city like this, I don’t think there’s ever gonna be a ‘not challenging’ time. Anybody who runs for office needs to know that. If you’re gonna make a difference, it’s not a cakewalk,” Horwath said.

READ MORE: CHCH News speaks with challengers running for Hamilton mayor

Meanwhile, Keanin Loomis and his campaign team gathered at Gatesbury Park in Waterdown for their final canvass, returning to the same location where they launched their campaign.

“It’s great to finish up where we started. This is when the plan is about getting out the vote. All of that energy, all of those doors that we’ve knocked, all of those events that we’ve been to – all of that work now leads to this moment. The team that wins is the one that shows up,” Loomis said.

Running for mayor for the second time, Loomis says the groundwork built during his 2022 campaign is paying dividends in 2026.

“From the very beginning, people recognized me as the candidate for change in this community,” he said.

READ MORE: Hamiltonians speak on what’s important to them as election day nears

Rob Cooper’s campaign team was also out canvassing neighbourhoods and delivering door hangers to residents on Saturday.

Cooper himself took Saturday off to prepare for Monday’s election.

His campaign manager, Grant MacLean, said it has been a long campaign, spanning six months of work, six days a week, and that the team has done everything it can ahead of election day.

“We’re very confident. We had a strong turnout of our supporters in the advance polls, and that’s always a good sign. We’ll be out there making sure people know where to vote, when to vote, and how to vote, and we’ll make sure that they get out,” MacLean said.

The final campaign push comes as Hamilton reports a 13 per cent increase in advance ballots cast compared with the 2022 municipal election.

The City of Hamilton says 34,996 ballots were cast during advance voting, compared with 30,893 in 2022.

With election day approaching, all of the mayoral candidates are encouraging residents to cast their ballots.

Polls will be open Monday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The City says voters do not need a voter information card but must bring one piece of identification showing their name and home address.

For more information on voting, visit the City of Hamilton’s election website.