Winnipeg election: Scott Gillingham jumps to early lead over Kevin Klein
Posted October 28, 2026 7:00 am.
Last Updated October 28, 2026 8:01 pm.
Winnipeg’s incumbent mayor is leading Kevin Klein after the first batch of votes came in on Wednesday night.
Scott Gillingham had a roughly 12,000-vote lead over Klein with about 12 per cent of the polls reporting.
Residents in more than 130 municipalities across Manitoba cast a vote Wednesday – including in Winnipeg.
The 2026 municipal election will see mayors, reeves, heads of council, councillors and school board trustees get elected throughout the province.
Polls were open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. As of 4 p.m., more than 82,000 people had already cast their ballot, according to the City of Winnipeg.
That’s on top of the record-shattering 50,767 people who participated in advance voting — a 21.2 per cent increase from 2022, when the previous advance voting record was set.
Winnipeg mayoral candidates
Twelve candidates are vying to become the next mayor of Winnipeg. Here they are, in alphabetical order:
- Mazher Alam
- Johnny Calderon
- Chris Clacio
- Tracey Drexler
- Scott Gillingham (incumbent)
- Brad Gross
- Umar Hayat
- Kevin Klein
- Joshua Pagdato
- Noah Redden
- Mike Vogiatzakis
- Don Woodstock
There are also 54 candidates in the running for 15 city councillor positions, and dozens of candidates for school trustee across six school divisions — though some have already been acclaimed.
Key issues
Crime, housing, homelessness and public transit are among the key issues this election.
Among some of the campaign promises to increase public safety include adding more police downtown, creating a crime reduction task force, and establishing an apprenticeship program for first responders.
On housing, promises range from freezing rents, revising the city’s policy on derelict properties, and levies on corporations that hold multiple vacant properties.
Each candidate’s platform can be found on their respective websites.
