Early fundraising shows $140,000 raised for five Austin City Council seats ahead of November elections
Campaign finance filings outline early money picture in five district races
Campaign finance reports filed in mid-January provide an early snapshot of fundraising and spending for Austin City Council campaigns heading into the Nov. 3, 2026 election. Candidates active across five seats collectively raised almost $140,000 in the second half of 2025 and reported nearly $800,000 cash on hand entering 2026.
This year’s municipal ballot will cover elections in half of Austin’s 10 geographic council districts. The seats expected on the ballot are Districts 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9. District 1 will be open due to term limits, while the other four seats are currently held by incumbents who are preparing for reelection campaigns or potential challenges.
District-by-district: who is running and what the reports show
District 1 (Central/East Austin): Two candidates have filed to succeed the term-limited incumbent. Steven Brown reported raising nearly $6,000 from more than two dozen donors, spending under $200, and finishing 2025 with just over $5,500 cash on hand. Alexandria Anderson reported no fundraising, spending, or cash on hand during the reporting period.
District 3 (South/East Austin): Incumbent José Velásquez reported more than $27,000 in donations, around $1,400 in fundraising expenses, and more than $32,000 cash on hand. No challenger was listed in the filings reviewed.
District 5 (South Austin): Incumbent Ryan Alter reported raising about $6,900 and spending under $4,000, ending the year with more than $115,000 available. Challenger David Weinberg reported raising nearly $11,000 and spending more than $15,000, with more than $270,000 available at year’s end, largely tied to two personal loans totaling $275,000. Farrah Abraham, who previously filed to run for mayor before switching to District 5, reported no financial activity in 2025.
District 8 (Southwest/West Austin): Incumbent Paige Ellis reported a cash-on-hand advantage of more than $100,000 over challenger Selena Xie, while Xie reported higher fundraising and spending totals during 2025. Under Austin’s term-limit rules, Ellis is seeking to petition District 8 voters to run for a third consecutive term.
District 9 (Central Austin): Incumbent Zo Qadri led fundraising totals in the field covered by the filings, reporting more than $27,000 raised and nearly $30,000 spent, with almost $182,000 cash on hand. Richard Heyman reported about $8,500 raised and under $1,000 spent. Ard Ardalan reported raising $7,600, spending $4,100, and about $3,500 remaining before suspending the campaign in December. Dave Thadani entered the race in January after the reporting period.
Other political accounts and committees also reported activity
While not on the ballot in 2026, several sitting council members reported fundraising and spending to close out 2025. Separate political committees tied to recent citywide issues also reported notable financial activity, including groups connected to efforts opposing the city’s convention center redevelopment and groups involved in last year’s Proposition Q campaign.
Next scheduled financial disclosures will cover activity through the first half of 2026 and are due in July, followed by additional reporting in the final month before the Nov. 3 election.