Jim Ross (Mayor of Arlington, Texas)
Jim Ross is the Mayor of Arlington in Texas. He assumed office on June 29, 2021. His current term ends in 2026.
Ross is running for re-election for Mayor of Arlington in Texas. He is on the ballot in the general election on May 2, 2026.[source]
Mayoral elections in Arlington are nonpartisan. Ross is an independent.[1]
Biography
Jim Ross served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1979 to 1983. Ross earned a B.A. in criminal justice from Dallas Baptist University in 1995 and a J.D. from Texas Wesleyan University in 1998. His career experience includes working as the principal attorney of the Jim Ross Law Group, as a policeman and SWAT officer with the Arlington Police Department, and owning Mercury Chophouse in Arlington.[2][3]
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the May 2 mayoral election in Arlington, Texas, as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Incumbent Jim Ross, Steve Cavender, Hunter Crow, and Shaun Mallory are running in the general election for mayor of Arlington, Texas, on May 2, 2026. As of March 2026, Ross and Cavender led in endorsements and local media attention.[4]
The Arlington Report's Chris Moss reported that in a press release, Cavender said "he was urged to run 'for the past couple years' by civic and community leaders and small business owners who are frustrated with budget shortfalls and rising property taxes." Moss also reported that "Ross said many of the [budget and tax] issues were caused by the Tarrant County Appraisal District’s move to freeze property appraisals."[4]
Ross was first elected mayor in 2021. Ross is an attorney and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and the Arlington Police Department. Ross says he has "brought over 27,000 new jobs to Arlington...[and] increased the average wage by more than 20%" during his two terms in office.[5] The Arlington Professional Firefighters Association and the Arlington Police Association endorsed Ross.[6]
Cavender is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and the U.S. Army Reserve. Cavender is a real estate developer and the president of the River Legacy Foundation.[7] Cavender says he is running because "Arlington deserves energetic, fiscally responsible leadership that puts residents and taxpayers first."[8] Former mayors Jeff Williams and Richard Greene endorsed Cavender.[9]
The city of Arlington has a council-manager government. The mayor is one of nine members of the city council and has responsibilities including presiding over council meetings and representing the city. The city council appoints a city manager to serve as chief executive. Arlington mayors are elected to three-year terms in nonpartisan elections and are subject to a three-term limit.
Elections
2026
See also: Mayoral election in Arlington, Texas (2026)
General election
The general election will occur on May 2, 2026.
General election for Mayor of Arlington
Incumbent Jim Ross (Nonpartisan), Steve Cavender (Nonpartisan), Hunter Crow (Nonpartisan), and Shaun Mallory (Nonpartisan) are running in the general election for Mayor of Arlington on May 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Jim Ross (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Steve Cavender (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Hunter Crow (Nonpartisan)  | |
| Shaun Mallory (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from RealClearPolitics, when available. We will regularly check for polling aggregation for this race and add polls here once available. To notify us of polls available for this race, please email us.
Candidate spending
Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the City of Arlington. Click here to access those reports.
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[10][11][12]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
Endorsements
Ross received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
2023
See also: Mayoral election in Arlington, Texas (2023)
General election
General election for Mayor of Arlington
Incumbent Jim Ross defeated Amy Cearnal in the general election for Mayor of Arlington on May 6, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Ross (Nonpartisan) | 51.8 | 9,059 |
 | Amy Cearnal (Nonpartisan) | 48.2 | 8,413 | |
| Total votes: 17,472 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2021
See also: Mayoral election in Arlington, Texas (2021)
General Runoff
General Runoff election for Mayor of Arlington
Jim Ross (Nonpartisan) defeated Michael Glaspie (Nonpartisan) in the general runoff for Mayor of Arlington on June 5, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Ross (Nonpartisan) | 54.4 | 11,333 |
 | Michael Glaspie (Nonpartisan) | 45.6 | 9,484 | |
| Total votes: 20,817 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Mayor of Arlington
The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Arlington on May 1, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Ross (Nonpartisan) | 47.4 | 14,782 |
| ✔ | | Michael Glaspie (Nonpartisan) | 21.1 | 6,590 |
 | Marvin Sutton (Nonpartisan) | 14.9 | 4,661 | |
 | Kelly Burke (Nonpartisan) | 7.3 | 2,289 | |
 | Dewayne Washington (Nonpartisan) | 5.1 | 1,597 | |
 | Doni Anthony (Nonpartisan) | 1.8 | 566 | |
| Cirilo Ocampo Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 1.2 | 368 | ||
| Jerry Warden (Nonpartisan) (Disqualified, still on ballot) | 1.1 | 329 | ||
| Total votes: 31,182 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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You can ask Jim Ross to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing info@reelectjimross.com.
Campaign websites
Ross' campaign website stated the following:
Continued Job Growth
Small business continues to be the backbone of real economic development. We must continue to do everything in our power to attract the young, hungry, bright minds of entrepreneurs by providing an environment where small business wants to bring their employees and their families to Arlington. We are proud of the incredible growth we have seen in the city with additions and expansions of companies like Wallbox, P&H Casters, and Bowery Farm. Other substantial career development opportunities include the relocation of the XFL Headquarters and the Western Athletic Conference to Arlington as well as the redevelopment of Lincoln Square and the addition of Spark, a collaborative coworking space for entrepreneurs, small business owners, creators and innovators.
Public Health & Safety
Taking care of those who take such good care of us is essential in maintaining our incredible City services. Over the last year we have been able to increase the pay of our incredible City Employees by 8%. We added 45 new firefighter positions and have had an overall reduction in crime by 4%. This is especially significant given the overall increase in crime rates nationwide since the pandemic. As a former Arlington Police Officer, I know first-hand what it’s like to work the streets in Arlington and how important it is to ensure our residences and businesses live and operate in a safe environment
Promote Quality Education & Career Development
Arlington is home to some of the best educational facilities in the country. The school districts, charter schools, private schools and home-schooling association offer some of the best opportunities for our kids anywhere. With the advanced education opportunities offered by Tarrant County College, the University of Texas at Arlington and the recently added Texas Southern University, Arlington has provided a unique opportunity for education from cradle to career. What does one do when you are surrounded with the best educators and education institutes in the country? You bring them together and form the Mayor’s Education Coalition. In 2021 that is exactly what we did. The mission of the coalition is to identify common issues, share resources and tear down barriers, allowing our educational leaders to work together more strategically and efficiently for the betterment of the community. Now, all our educational leaders are working together on important issues such as school safety where they are working collaboratively on the “See something, say something” campaign.
Transportation & Road Maintenance
Let’s talk transportation! We can get around Arlington well and affordably with Via. The continuing issue is how can we help move folks in and out of our city. There are ongoing projects that very well could bring high speed rail, or hyperloop, or Rapid Bus Transit to and through our city but those projects take a lot of time and a lot of money. We need something now! So, recently, we begin speaking with our great neighbors to the east and south of us and have decided to explore the expansion our Via program to a tri-city area. This will be a pilot program while we continue to pursue other ways to connect regionally. This partnership with our neighbors demonstrates what working together for our communities is all about.
In the last two years we spent 94 million dollars in maintenance and construction of our streets. This upcoming year alone we project to spend more than $65 million dollars on street maintenance. This amounts to over a 38% increase in roadway maintenance and construction in Arlington.
Housing & Property Tax
Taking care of our city also means improving our neighborhoods. In the past two years we have issued, or are in the process of issuing, over 1500 permits for new single-family homes. These single-family dwellings include both luxury homes and affordable housing. We must continue to address the affordability of housing by partnering with innovative developers to identify working solutions to having a home more affordable. One of the main ways we continue to address the affordability of being a homeowner is by continuing the six-year trend of lowering the tax rate. This past year we were able to lower the rate by 2 cents, the largest property tax reduction in Arlington in over 30 years.
— Jim Ross' campaign website (March 4, 2026)
Ross' campaign website stated the following:
JOBS
CONTINUED JOB GROWTH
Small business continues to be the backbone of real economic development. We must continue to do everything in our power to attract the young, hungry, bright minds of entrepreneurs by providing an environment where small business wants to bring their employees and their families to Arlington. We are proud of the incredible growth we have seen in the city with additions and expansions of companies like Wallbox, P&H Casters, and Bowery Farm. Other substantial career development opportunities include the relocation of the XFL Headquarters and the Western Athletic Conference to Arlington as well as the redevelopment of Lincoln Square and the addition of Spark, a collaborative coworking space for entrepreneurs, small business owners, creators and innovators.
SAFETY
Public Health & Safety
Taking care of those who take such good care of us is essential in maintaining our incredible City services. Over the last year we have been able to increase the pay of our incredible City Employees by 8%. We added 45 new firefighter positions and have had an overall reduction in crime by 4%. This is especially significant given the overall increase in crime rates nationwide since the pandemic. As a former Arlington Police Officer, I know first-hand what it’s like to work the streets in Arlington and how important it is to ensure our residences and businesses live and operate in a safe environment
EDUCATION
Promote Quality Education & Career Development
Arlington is home to some of the best educational facilities in the country. The school districts, charter schools, private schools and home-schooling association offer some of the best opportunities for our kids anywhere. With the advanced education opportunities offered by Tarrant County College, the University of Texas at Arlington and the recently added Texas Southern University, Arlington has provided a unique opportunity for education from cradle to career. What does one do when you are surrounded with the best educators and education institutes in the country? You bring them together and form the Mayor’s Education Coalition. In 2021 that is exactly what we did. The mission of the coalition is to identify common issues, share resources and tear down barriers, allowing our educational leaders to work together more strategically and efficiently for the betterment of the community. Now, all our educational leaders are working together on important issues such as school safety where they are working collaboratively on the “See something, say something” campaign.
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation & Road Maintenance
Let’s talk transportation! We can get around Arlington well and affordably with Via. The continuing issue is how can we help move folks in and out of our city. There are ongoing projects that very well could bring high speed rail, or hyperloop, or Rapid Bus Transit to and through our city but those projects take a lot of time and a lot of money. We need something now! So, recently, we begin speaking with our great neighbors to the east and south of us and have decided to explore the expansion our Via program to a tri-city area. This will be a pilot program while we continue to pursue other ways to connect regionally. This partnership with our neighbors demonstrates what working together for our communities is all about.In the last two years we spent 94 million dollars in maintenance and construction of our streets. This upcoming year alone we project to spend more than $65 million dollars on street maintenance. This amounts to over a 38% increase in roadway maintenance and construction in Arlington.
TAXES
Housing & Property Tax
Taking care of our city also means improving our neighborhoods. In the past two years we have issued, or are in the process of issuing, over 1500 permits for new single-family homes. These single-family dwellings include both luxury homes and affordable housing. We must continue to address the affordability of housing by partnering with innovative developers to identify working solutions to having a home more affordable. One of the main ways we continue to address the affordability of being a homeowner is by continuing the six-year trend of lowering the tax rate. This past year we were able to lower the rate by 2 cents, the largest property tax reduction in Arlington in over 30 years
— Jim Ross' campaign website (February 20, 2026)
Campaign ads
2023
Jim Ross did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Jim Ross did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Ross' campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Doing Business in Arlington Promote Quality Education & Career Development Expanding Transportation & Mitigating Traffic Congestion Public Health & Safety Reducing Our Tax Burden |
” |
| —Jim Ross' campaign website (2021)[14] | ||
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Mayor of Arlington |
Officeholder Mayor of Arlington |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email communication with City of Arlington Office of Communication," August 12, 2025
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Jim Ross," accessed July 7, 2021
- ↑ Jim Ross for Mayor, "Meet Jim," accessed July 7, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 KERA News, "River Legacy Foundation board president challenges Jim Ross for Arlington mayor seat," January 20, 2026
- ↑ Vimeo, "Re-elect Jim Ross for Mayor - with Captions," December 31, 2025
- ↑ Jim Ross campaign website, "Home page," accessed March 2, 2026
- ↑ Steve Cavender campaign website, "Meet Steve," accessed March 2, 2026
- ↑ Steve Cavender campaign website, "Home page," accessed March 2, 2026
- ↑ Steve Cavender campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed March 2, 2026
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Jim Ross' campaign website, “Positions,” accessed March 22, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jeff Williams |
Mayor of Arlington 2021-Present |
Succeeded by - |
