After months of speculation, Indianapolis City-County Councilor Vop Osili formally announced his candidacy for Indianapolis mayor in 2027, firing the first major shot in what is expected to be a competitive and consequential race to replace three-term Mayor Joe Hogsett. Osili’s announcement on January 15, 2026 marks the official start of his campaign and positions him early in the Democratic primary field.
Osili, 62, a longtime Democrat and seasoned city official, served as president of the Indianapolis City-County Council from 2018 to early 2026 and has been a council member since 2012. His decision to step down as council president late last year — ending an eight-year tenure — fueled widespread speculation that he was preparing a mayoral bid, which he confirmed this week with a campaign launch.
In announcing his run, Osili emphasized pragmatic city priorities. “This campaign isn’t about ideology or political labels,” he said in a press release, asserting that the focus should be on core city services and quality-of-life issues such as safe and stable housing, public safety rooted in trust and humanity, and real economic opportunity.
Osili’s resume blends civic governance with professional experience. In addition to his council work, he is an architect at Woolpert, Inc., and has championed initiatives aimed at economic inclusion — including a city-funded microloan program for lower-income residents and incentives for companies hiring formerly incarcerated individuals.
Yet the campaign is not without controversy. Osili has faced criticism over his handling of a tense June 2025 City-County Council meeting where he ordered the removal of a speaker, Lauren Roberts, who had been testifying about her experiences involving allegations against a former mayoral aide. Osili later acknowledged regret about the incident; Roberts is pursuing damages from the city.
With the first major candidate declared, attention now pivots to other potential contenders. Two prominent Democrats — State Sen. Andrea Hunley and Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears — have been widely discussed as likely entrants in the mayoral contest. Hunley, a State Senator from Indianapolis and former public school principal, is expected to formally announce her candidacy, possibly as soon as tomorrow. If she does, her entry would immediately transform the field into a competitive primary matchup between two well-known Democratic figures.
Campaign finance dynamics also offer an early advantage to Osili. According to campaign finance records, he reported more than $300,000 in cash on hand at the start of 2025, significantly outpacing early reports from Mears and Hunley, though fundraising landscapes can change rapidly once campaigns are official.
Republican interest in the mayoral race remains limited but not nonexistent. Local GOP leaders are exploring viable options, buoyed by some discontent with the current Democratic administration and a perception among some voters that city leadership has been distracted by controversies rather than focused on delivering essential services.
As Osili kicks off his campaign and Hunley is poised to announce, the 2027 Indianapolis mayoral race is quickly shaping into a pivotal local contest that could redefine leadership in Indiana’s largest city. The coming weeks are likely to clarify the field and set the stage for one of the most closely watched municipal elections in recent memory.
Editor’s Note: Indy Politics publisher Abdul-Hakim Shabazz previously ran for Indianapolis mayor in the 2023 Democratic primary, finishing second to Jefferson Shreve, who went on to lose the general election to incumbent Mayor Joe Hogsett.
