Former ‘Teen Mom’ Star Farrah Abraham Launches Early Bid for Austin Mayor

Former reality TV star Farrah Abraham launched a bid for mayor of Austin, Texas—two years before the election.

Having submitted her paperwork to run for a campaign aimed at the 2026 ballot, Abraham, 34, learned in a Jan. 15 interview with TMZ Live that the race won’t be taking place until 2028.

“I’m super excited to be a candidate for mayor of Austin,” she told host and founder, Harvey Levin. “I’m running super early, so I can’t wait to see who’s going to run with me and challenge me.”

To confirm the timing, Levin phoned Austin City Hall during the live broadcast to ask about the election.

“Oh, for some reason, the mayor election is 2026,” Abraham said, adding to confusion. “I don’t know, that’s just what the office told me.”

“Am I running for district? For district, which is federal, I’m running local right now,” she continued. “Local is a little bit different than federal.”

“I did say my hope after running for local is for a local district, which is in 2028. So, I do have hopes for running for district, but for right now, I’m going to stay in a non-partisan category, which is mayor.”

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is currently serving a four-year term, having won a new full term in November 2024. In 2021, city leaders passed a proposition that moved mayoral elections to coincide with the presidential race, citing better voter turnout.

“I think you may have jumped the gun here,” Levin said.

“I love that I jumped the gun,” Abraham responded.

Originally from Nebraska, Abraham moved to Austin in 2013. According to her website, where she outlined proposed pilot programs, her campaign was motivated by housing affordability, family planning equity and a modernized health care system for Veterans.

Following the TMZ appearance, Abraham’s campaign withdrew her premature mayoral bid and in a news release announced she will be running for District 5 Austin City Council instead.

“I’m running for Austin City Council District 5 because our city has lost balance—we’ve gone soft on crime, driven up prices, and left working families like mine struggling to keep up. Enough is enough,” her statement reads.

“I’ve faced Hollywood drama, cancel culture, and online trolls and I’m still here—ready to fight for Austin families who don’t have lobbyists or insider access. I’m here for the everyday parents juggling jobs, school runs and dreams. It’s time for a survivor mom who knows how to hustle and make real change.”