NEED TO KNOW
Farrah Abraham announced that she was running for mayor in Austin, Texas — but immediately withdrew her candidacy after learning that the next race wasn’t until 2028.
The Teen Mom alum, 34, announced during an interview with TMZ on Thursday, Jan. 15 that she had submitted her candidate paperwork to run in the Austin mayoral race the day before — but learned live on air that that race wouldn’t be for two more years.
“I’m super excited to be a candidate for mayor of Austin,” she said. “I’m running super early, so I can’t wait to see whose going to be run with me and challenge me.”
After host Harvey Levin asked her “why so early,” Abraham was seemingly surprised, responding that she believed the mayoral election was in 2026. “I just know what my city has told me,” she said, after alleging that the city’s secretary office had told her the election was this year, and saying that many other elections were taking place this year.
“I loved that I jumped the gun,” she added. “I think there’s also a lot going on locally, so if someone also misinterpreted that and told me different, that’s okay too.”
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In an interview with local outlet KXAN on Thursday, Abraham then announced that her team had refiled the paperwork earlier in the day to enter her in the race for Austin’s city council, vying for the seat for District 5.
“I reached out to the city and I just was like, ‘Hey, I’m very serious about this … I love this city and I want to get involved in and help where I live and breathe, and I know I can help because I’m making it, others seem to be struggling, and I want to jump in the mix,'” she said. “If I could be a district seat and I could be mayor at the same time, I probably would do it.”
Abraham, who is originally from Council Bluffs, Neb., moved to Austin in 2013, per KXAN. She appeared on Teen Mom and 16 & Pregnant in 2009 and is mom to one daughter, Sophia.
The reality TV alum told the Texas outlet that she wants to “work on any and every issue in city council,” noting that she was particularly interested in working on housing affordability and issues faced by self-employed workers, many of them creatives.
Abraham also said that although she lives in the city’s District, she didn’t know who was currently representing the area.
“I don’t even know who’s in District 5, maybe their names just like aren’t big names or something. They just don’t come up where I work,” she said. “People definitely are not enthused with people who are in charge of the city or districts or mayor.”
“I just can’t wait to see what’s really going on … We’re going to have a really good life. We’re going to have a better life in Austin,” Abraham added.
Steve Eichner/Variety via Getty
The news of Abraham’s bid for office comes after another reality TV alum announced that he was running for mayor. Earlier this month, Spencer Pratt of The Hills announced his run for mayor of Los Angeles during the city’s 2026 election.
Pratt, 42, directly referenced the Los Angeles fires — in which he lost the home he shared with wife Heidi Montag — when launching his bid for mayor. He told a crowd on Jan. 7, “The system in Los Angeles isn’t struggling, it’s fundamentally broken. It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash.”
Pratt addressed the crowd at a “They Let Us Burn!” protest, where he stood among the remains of his Pacific Palisades neighborhood. He continued, “Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action. That’s why I am running for mayor.”
The filing deadline for city council candidates in Austin is Aug. 18, and Los Angeles’ mayor election is set for June 2, 2026.
