Former DISD chief Hinojosa enters 2027 Dallas mayoral race

The race for the Dallas mayor’s seat opened Monday as former Dallas ISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa announced his candidacy to The Dallas Morning News.

Hinojosa, 70, is the first candidate to announce his candidacy in the race, which will be held in November 2027. The current mayor, Eric Johnson, is term-limited after winning a second consecutive term in 2023 while running as a Democrat. Johnson notably switched party affiliation after winning reelection.

Born in Mexico and raised in Oak Cliff, Hinojosa served two stints as DISD superintendent, from 2005 to 2011 and 2015 to 2022. Hinojosa led the district through COVID-19 challenges. He’s credited with helping to turn around the historically troubled district, which has reported multiple consecutive years of improvements in test scores and achievement gaps.

“This community raised me. I just want to give back to it, if the voters want me,” he told The Dallas Morning News. 

The former administrator has never run for public office, although he considered challenging Johnson in 2023. In an interview with the Morning News, he cited his experience leading the state’s second-largest district as a qualification.

Hinojosa is expected to be joined by a large field of candidates from both the public and private sectors in Dallas. The race comes at a time when many feel the city is at a crossroads: Dallas is furloughing employees under considerable budget pressure; companies (and sports teams) are leaving downtown en masse; and a fight over the future of City Hall has deepened civic divides. Those divides have led some to reconsider the very fabric of the city government, with former mayor and Observer columnist Laura Miller joining a growing number of leaders calling for a stronger mayor system.

Hinojosa’s candidacy has been expected for some time. Earlier this summer, the Morning News reported some potential candidates for the mayoral race, with Hinojosa among them. Other potential hopefuls included Red Bird Mall developer Peter Brodsky, personal injury lawyer Ben Abbott, Highland Park Village owner Ray Washburne and Oak Cliff council member Chad West.