Vancouver Councillor Pete Fry Announces Mayoral Bid in Crowded 2026 Race
Vancouver Councillor Pete Fry has officially entered the city's mayoral race, adding his name to what is shaping up to be a lengthy list of candidates vying to unseat incumbent Mayor Ken Sim. Fry, who currently serves as a city councillor, announced his candidacy on Friday, positioning himself as the candidate best-equipped to challenge Sim in the upcoming October 2026 election.
From Hesitation to Determination: Fry's Decision to Run
Fry revealed that he was initially uncertain about whether to pursue the mayor's office. However, in recent months, he has been encouraged by what he describes as frequent and unsolicited support from community members. "Literally, not a day goes by that somebody doesn't say: 'Run for mayor,'" Fry told media shortly before his official announcement. "And these are random people on the street, these aren't just my friends and family."
This grassroots encouragement ultimately convinced Fry to join the race, where he hopes to become Vancouver's first Green mayor. With more than nine months remaining before the October 17 election day, Fry enters an already crowded field of candidates seeking to challenge Sim's leadership.
A Challenging Political Landscape
Fry believes he possesses what he calls "probably the strongest chance to unseat Ken Sim" when considering the current political dynamics. Sim, who won a decisive victory in 2022 with the upstart ABC Vancouver party alongside every one of the party's council candidates, has indicated he plans to seek a second term.
Rather than launching his campaign with sweeping policy announcements, Fry is emphasizing his track record over the past three years as council's "voice of opposition, holding Ken Sim accountable on a lot of stuff by myself." This approach suggests Fry will campaign on his established record of scrutiny and oversight rather than introducing entirely new platforms.
Sim's Declining Support and Vote Splitting Concerns
Recent polling indicates potential vulnerability for the incumbent mayor. According to a Leger poll conducted in December, Sim's approval rating had fallen to approximately 29 percent. While Sim's team hopes to improve these numbers before election day, historical precedent suggests he could potentially win re-election with similar support levels, depending on how many rivals divide the "anti-Sim" vote.
In the 2018 mayoral election, Kennedy Stewart won with only about 29 percent of the vote, while Sim finished a remarkably close second running for the NPA, trailing by less than a percentage point. The 2026 race could feature even more credible candidates than that competitive election, potentially creating greater vote fragmentation among Sim's opponents.
A Growing Field of Challengers
The mayoral field already includes several notable challengers. Two of Sim's former allies have announced their candidacies: Councillor Rebecca Bligh, who was elected with ABC in 2022 but now plans to run for mayor with a new party called Vote Vancouver, and Kareem Allam, ABC's 2022 campaign manager who is seeking the mayor's job with another new party, the Vancouver Liberals.
Further fragmentation of the anti-Sim vote appears likely on the political left. OneCity plans to nominate its own mayoral candidate in February, with First United executive director Amanda Burrows and Brightside Community Homes CEO William Azaroff seeking the party's nomination. The Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) has not yet ruled out running a mayoral candidate, and former mayor Kennedy Stewart has publicly stated he is considering another run.
On the political right, TEAM for a Livable Vancouver is expected to announce its own mayoral nominee—likely former Vancouver Councillor Colleen Hardwick—in the coming months, potentially appealing to voters who previously supported ABC Vancouver.
This increasingly crowded field sets the stage for what promises to be one of Vancouver's most competitive and complex municipal elections in recent history, with multiple candidates from across the political spectrum vying to either extend or end Ken Sim's tenure as mayor.
