Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer announced today that she will run for a fourth term in office, more than a year ahead of the 2026 general election. She is the first candidate to officially enter the race.
Manheimer, 54, has served on Asheville City Council since 2009 and has been mayor since 2013, winning reelection in 2017 and 2022. A graduate of Asheville High School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she works as a land litigation attorney at the Van Winkle Law Firm.
In her announcement, Manheimer tied her decision to the city’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene. She pointed to more than $225 million in federal disaster recovery funding that she said she helped secure for Asheville.
“In the wake of this storm, we have an opportunity to use funding we’ve never had before to build back better,” Manheimer said in a news release. “Recovery is a multiyear effort requiring steady collaboration and leadership. I went to Washington, fought for our community, secured the funding, and I want to see us through.”
The nonpartisan municipal primary election is scheduled for March 3, 2026. The general election will be held Nov. 3, 2026.
