The declared candidates for Shelby County mayor in 2026 have hit their first milestone, the fundraising proceeds for the second quarter of the year and the first opportunity to measure their progress vis-a-vis each other, now that the field seems to be set.
Leading the field by leaps and bounds at this point is Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr., who is showing the same start-up energy that he did in his 2022 Democratic primary race for governor, when he got a quick start only to slow down somewhat in the stretch, having arguably overspent himself early.
As of the end-of-quarter filing report, Smiley had raised $312,688.33, with itemized contributions of $310,722.98. He had spent $141, 517.15 and had cash on hand of $171,171.18.
Next best is Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery, who had raised $214,077, including a $25,000 loan to himself and itemized contributions of $189,077. He had spent $59,962.46 and had cash on hand in the amount of $154,114.54.
County Assessor Melvin Burgess had raised $90,808 (including a $25,000 loan to himself), with itemized contributions of $65,808. He spent only $3,589.77 this quarter and had cash on hand of $96,499.48 — a sum which includes $9,282.25 left over from the previous quarter.
County CAO Harold Collins’ report shows that he had raised $72,265, with itemized contributions of $70,420. He had spent $14,285.75 and had cash on hand of $57,975.25.
Businessman/philanthropist J.W. Gibson reported $35,580 raised, the same amount as his itemized contributions. He had spent $8,606.15 and had $28,731.59 cash on hand. The independently wealthy Gibson, it should be noted, is expected to spend freely of his own money as needed to stay competitive.
The latest entry in the field, Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn, reports no money raised as of yet but cash on hand of $43,502.
• Javier Bailey, who is CAO for Assessor Burgess and now seeks the job of assessor himself, had his campaign announcement, a fundraiser/meet and greet at the Memphian Hotel Monday night.
• President Trump is on a rampage to demand that professional sports teams that formerly had monikers relating to Native Americans rid themselves of the new names and go back to the old ones. He cites specifically the NFL’s Washington Commanders (formerly the Redskins) and MLB’s Cleveland Guardians (formerly the Indians).
In making the name change, the owners of those teams bowed to a prevailing volume of opinion that the former names had racist connotations.
Trump didn’t mention the erstwhile minor-league Memphis Chicks, the local baseball franchise that for decades operated here under a nickname relating to the Chickasaw tribe that once occupied our environs before being usurped by white settlers.
Technically the current Triple-A Memphis Redbirds are a different franchise that came into being after intervening years during which Memphis didn’t have a pro baseball team. In any case, there has been no discernible grassroots movement here to revive the old name, which, in its shorthand version, arguably had sexist connotations along with ethnic ones.