The first couple weeks of the new year saw several moves as candidates try to firm out their support and stake their claims.
The big news I've heard from several sources is Rahim Jaffer has entered the race for Mayor.
Rahim Jaffer
Jaffer, a four-time CPC MP from Edmonton-Strathcona is perhaps better known for his DUI, cocaine charges and his victory in the Hill Times survey as the "laziest MP". While he has not declared a party affiliation, the restaurant he owns, Rooster Kitchen & Bar, is listed as hosting multiple PACE events on freedomcalendar.net. Jaffer running with PACE is a safe bet.
Omar Mohammed has also joined the mayoral race.
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Dene
In Dene, the ward currently represented by Aaron Paquette, Lana Palmer and Paul Brake have both declared their intention to run.
Paul Brake
Lana Palmer finished third in the ward in 2021.
Paul Brake posts conspiracy theories and alt-right talking points at least a dozen times each day on his twitter feed.
Former UCP candidate for Edmonton-Manning, Alberto Mazzocca has also filed his intent to run for council –– it's not clear what ward he will run in. Dene has the most overlap with Edmonton-Manning, if he's going to try and preserve some name recognition.
Aaron Paquette, who is a strong incumbent, has not declared his intentions yet. However, he has been working through an extremely tragic loss of his son. I feel so gutted for him and expect him to be focusing on himself and his family right now, not municipal electoral politics.
Incumbents
Both Ashley Salvador and Michael Janz are now confirmed to be running again in the next election. Both, I've highlighted as strong incumbents, likely to take victory in their respective wards.
Sarah Hamilton has recently taken new headshots, updated her website and become more active with her mailing lists and constituent communications –– I had previously taken this to mean that she had intended to run again, likely under Tim Cartmell's banner.
Sarah Hamilton
However, I have been tipped multiple times by sources saying her intentions have shifted and that she will forgo a municipal run and instead plan to run as a UCP MLA in one of the soon-to-be-redrawn provincial ridings in the city. I'm told to expect an announcement around March, if one is coming.
Downtown
Finally, in O'day-min, the downtown Ward represented by Anne Stevenson, Stephen Hammerschmidt will also be running
Stephen Hammerschmidt
It appears the downtown race will be the incumbent vs. those working commercial real estate in banking or lobbying, as represented so far by Hammerschmidt and Pye.
You can view the entire list of candidates running here.