Olivia Chow Re-elected as Toronto Mayor After Brad Bradford Falls Short
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Olivia Chow beat Brad Bradford to win a second term as Toronto’s mayor, even as advance voting turnout climbed sharply and progressive candidates did well in the city’s municipal races.
Olivia Chow was declared the winner of Toronto's mayoral race on Monday night, beating challenger Brad Bradford for the city's top office. The result was announced at her campaign headquarters on Queen Street West, where supporters marked the outcome as the city chose to stick with its current course.
"Tonight, the people of Toronto have spoken," Chow said in her victory speech, adding that voters had given her "the extraordinary honour of continuing to serve as your mayor."
Chow thanked all candidates in the race and described the election as "hard-fought," noting her gratitude and humility. She highlighted the main points of her platform, including a fare cap for the TTC, free school lunches and increased support for renters, policies that will now have to prove themselves in office.
Brad Bradford, speaking from his campaign headquarters at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, congratulated Chow and expressed confidence in her leadership, saying the city’s residents "love this city."
Advance voting turnout rose by nearly 72 percent compared with the 2023 byelection, with more than 222,000 ballots cast between Oct. 6 and Oct. 11, according to the city's website. The election also marked a broader success for progressive candidates in Toronto's municipal contests, a sign of where the city’s political balance currently stands.
Chow, who first entered municipal politics as a school board trustee in 1985 and later served as a city councillor and federal MP, becomes the first racialized person and the third woman to hold the mayoralty in the city's history.