Virden to seek mayor’s seat

Real estate agent Jennifer Virden, 53, who ran unsuccessfully for the District 10 seat on the Austin City Council in 2020, has announced via Twitter that she will be running for mayor in 2022. She says she is focused on public safety and other “core municipal services, including water, waste, electricity, roads, and parks.” Virden, a Republican, is also the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit challenging one of the city’s campaign finance regulations. In a press release about the lawsuit, Virden claimed that only being able to raise money for one year before an election disadvantages challengers in particular. She has been quite vocal in her opposition to the current Council’s decision to “reimagine public safety.” She is scheduled to be in court this Friday to seek a federal injunction against the city’s campaign finance law that prevents her from legally raising money until November. No other candidates have announced for mayor so far.