Rebecca Bligh Launches Mayoral Run With New Party After Split From ABC

Vancouver’s next mayoral race just got more crowded.

Councillor Rebecca Bligh, a two-term city hall veteran who was ousted from Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC Vancouver in February, announced Monday she is forming a new party and running for mayor in 2026.

“I am running to be the next mayor of the City of Vancouver,” Bligh told supporters gathered outside city hall. Her new political vehicle, Vote Vancouver, will put affordability, housing, and trust in government at the center of its campaign.

Bligh said she’s running to help families priced out of the city, small businesses struggling with costs and safety, and residents facing high rents or unattainable home prices. “When people look to city hall, they don’t see leadership solving these problems,” she said. “They see backroom deals and insiders setting the agenda.”

Bligh’s break with ABC came after she opposed Sim’s motion to halt net-new supportive housing and resisted efforts to allow new homes to use natural gas for heating. The disputes highlighted growing fractures inside the party, which has since seen school board and park board members depart, and which suffered a defeat in an April byelection despite holding a majority on council.

At her launch, Bligh accused Sim of failing to deliver on campaign promises. “We have a mayor who promised so much action and hasn’t done the hard work needed to deliver,” she said.

Beyond council, Bligh serves as president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, where she has worked on drug policy, climate initiatives, public safety, and housing. Her party plans to run a full slate of candidates for council, school board, and park board in 2026.

She won’t be the only challenger to Sim. His former campaign manager Kareem Allam has declared a run under the Vancouver Liberals banner. And OneCity, a centre-left party, says it is preparing to field its own mayoral candidate, while criticizing Bligh for supporting some ABC policies during her time with the party.

The election is set for October 17, 2026—and with multiple challengers already lining up, Vancouver’s next mayoral race is shaping up to be one of the city’s most competitive in years.