After almost 30 years serving the city, Andrea Horwath will no longer hold an elected position in Hamilton.
“It’s been absolutely the privilege of a lifetime to represent the people of this city, first as a city councillor, then as an MPP and, of course, as the first woman mayor of the city,” Horwath said Tuesday during a tearful address to reporters.
“I want to thank everybody for that honour. I’m really proud of the work that we did.
“This is a city that I love and that’s been an honour to serve,” Horwath said, her voice breaking.
WATCH | Horwath speaks publicly for 1st time since election loss:
Outgoing Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath says it’s been an ‘honour’ to serve the city
On Tuesday afternoon, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath made some remarks at Hamilton city hall after losing to Keanin Loomis and finishing third after Rob Cooper in the 2026 mayoral race.
The one-term mayor ended up in third place Monday, garnering 14.53 per cent of the vote according to unofficial results. Rob Cooper, who served as a city councillor this past term, received 31.87 per cent while mayor-elect Keanin Loomis took home 41.77 per cent.
Horwath mentioned she had spoken with Loomis and offered her support in any way she can moving forward. She congratulated him along with the seven councillors who were re-elected and eight new ones.
“Being a mayor is a big job. It’s a big responsibility but it’s also a big privilege. I can say from experience that when you have lots of new people coming onto a council, it’s also a bit chaotic, so I’m wishing them all the very best,” she said.
“The winds of change have blown across Ontario,” Horwath noted, mentioning several new elected officials taking office. Cities like Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Port Colborne chose new mayors.
Since amalgamation in 2000, Hamiltonians have only re-elected one mayor consecutively: Fred Eisenberger, who won in both 2014 and 2018.
“People just wanted a change,” Horwath stated when asked about her feelings on losing or what went wrong during her campaign.
She acknowledged there were “tough times” during her term including dealing with the pandemic, responding to a cyberattack on the City of Hamilton and collaborating with several new councillors.
Horwath expressed pride in being Hamilton’s first woman mayor and highlighted her efforts toward attracting investment to the city while working alongside other levels of government. She hopes those initiatives continue.
Horwath hopeful for city; tough times for staff
Looking ahead, Horwath noted that many more conservatives have just been elected to city council which “will be an interesting change.”
She feels Hamilton is “in a lot better shape than I found it,” expressing hope for its future.
When asked if politics are still part of her plans going forward,she hesitated saying she’s unsure but “never say never.”
For now though,“I’m gonna take a break for sure; have some fun maybe,”and catch up on“some sleep.”
She pointed out that this is an uncertain time for her staff because political aides often lose their jobs when mayors change hands.“I feel bad for them; they served well.”Thank you.”
‘Voters were looking for something different’
Marvin Ryder, a Mc Master University marketing professor commented he thinks“people were in the mood for a change”during this election season.
“We’ve seen similar sentiments in many municipal elections across Ontario where voters voiced their discontent with status quo policies seeking alternatives.”
“I think [Loomis] was lucky being at right place at right time,” he shared with on Tuesday adding that Loomis had name recognition from his previous run against Horwath where she won by about‘1600 votes.’
Citing Peter Graefe, a politics professor at Mc Master University saying last week he believes:“Horawth will likely be remembered not only as city’s first left-leaning mayor but also someone who struggled communicating how she brought progressive initiatives forward.” He added she lost some support alongthe way.”
“Praising shortcomings within her leadership regarding securing reelection suggests these aspects might define partofher legacy too”
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