It’s a lot, as we have previously noted.
CM Ed Pollard
It isn’t even close to the time potential candidates will start announcing their intention to run for Houston mayor in 2027.
But if campaign finance reports are any indicator, Council Member Edward Pollard — who has long been rumored as interested in the position — is fast encroaching on current Mayor John Whitmire when it comes to campaign funds.
During the mayoral campaign, Whitmire commanded a lead in the race with his war chest, a product of his 52 years as a member of the Texas Legislature. Whitmire spent around $9 million as he ran for office, and he had $4.3 million on hand as the election drew closer in November 2023.
That amount, though, has slowly whittled down throughout the mayor’s first year and a half in office. Whitmire currently has nearly $2.3 million on hand, according to his most recent campaign finance filing.
Meanwhile, Pollard has more than $2.1 million on hand, according to his most recent filing — an amount that dwarfs his colleagues on the City Council. The council member with the next greatest amount of cash on hand is Abbie Kamin at nearly $416,000, followed by Martha Castex-Tatum at more than $367,000.
Notably, around $1 million of Pollard’s cash on hand is a loan he gave himself.
Experts say Pollard’s report makes one thing clear: The council member, who will soon hit his term limit, has his eyes set on a higher office.
I’ve been talking about this for awhile, most recently when the latest city of Houston campaign finance reports dropped. CM Pollard is term-limited, so whatever he’s raising all this cash for, it’s not for re-election. The self-loan of a million bucks also blows my mind, just because I had no idea he had that capability.
The question is what office he might have his eye on. As we well know now, anything he says before December of 2026 would trigger resign-to-run, so one presumes he will play his cards close to his vest in the short term. Mayor is an obvious possibility – I’m sure Controller Chris Hollins has some thoughts about that, but he too needs to keep them to himself at this time – but it’s not the only one. Harris County Judge and CD18 (or CD09, if the proposed redistricting map is amended or not adopted) also come to mind, though those would mean the end of his time on Council. I’ve not heard anything that rises above the level of the speculation I’m indulging in here. At some point, he’ll make a move and then we’ll know. Until then, all we can do is what we’re doing now.