Former reality TV star Farrah Abraham has submitted and subsequently withdrawn her Austin, Texas, mayoral bid.
The Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant star, 34, was speaking Thursday to TMZ about entering the race when she learned that the election would take place in 2028 and not, in fact, in 2026 as she thought.
“For some reason, the mayor election is 2026,” Abraham told the TMZ hosts when pressed about her decision to enter the race two years early. “I don’t know. That’s just what the office told me.”
After receiving clarification that the Austin mayoral election is in 2028 and not this year, Abraham’s team refiled her paperwork instead to enter her into the race for a city council seat.
Speaking in a separate interview Thursday to local NBC affiliate KXAN, Abraham said: “I reached out to the city and I just was like, ‘Hey, I’m very serious about this … I love this city and I want to get involved in and help where I live and breathe, and I know I can help because I’m making it, others seem to be struggling, and I want to jump in the mix.’
“If I could be a district seat and I could be mayor at the same time, I probably would do it.”
Abraham then posted to her Instagram account about the abrupt change of plans, having announced her mayoral bid the day prior.
“Looks like I’m running for district 2026!” her Instagram Story read. “Thank you Keep it weird.”
Originally from Nebraska, Abraham moved to Austin in 2013. She was featured on 16 and Pregnant in 2009 and then spent four seasons on that show’s spinoff series, Teen Mom, both of which documented Abraham’s pregnancy and postpartum experiences with her daughter, Sophia.
In the years since she rose to fame on reality TV, Abraham has worked as a life coach, comedian, and OnlyFans model, per her website. She does not appear to have prior political experience.
When asked by KXAN her opinion of current District 5 council member Ryan Alter, Abraham admitted she didn’t know who that was. However, she did confirm to the network that she lives in the district.
“I just can’t wait to see what’s really going on… We’re going to have a really good life. We’re going to have a better life in Austin,” Abraham told the network.
Abraham’s announcement comes just weeks after former The Hills star Spencer Pratt announced his bid for Los Angeles mayor.
Pratt announced his candidacy in front of around 1,000 demonstrators at a “They Let Us Burn” rally in the Palisades Village on the first anniversary of the devastating California wildfire that left him and wife Heidi Montag without a home.
Pratt told the rally: “Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action. That’s why I am running for mayor.”
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