Chief administrative officer for Shelby County government announces run for county mayor

Harold Collins, chief administrative officer for Shelby County Government, Friday night announced his candidacy for Shelby County mayor.

Collins was celebrating his recent graduation from Jackson State University with a master's degree in public policy when he made the surprise announcement before supporters, family and friends at The Century House on Vance Ave. near the South Main District Downtown.

"There have been some rumors going around about Harold Collins and I am here to fix that," Collins said to cheers. "Harold Collins will be a candidate for Shelby County mayor in 2026 in the Democratic primary."

The county mayoral election is in 2026.

Collins said he would focus on three primary areas. "We want to build new schools. We want to build a new Regional One Medical Center. We want to bring new prosperity and move Shelby County forward," he said.

The Shelby County mayor position is term limited, so current Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris is now ineligible for re-election. Harris was elected first in 2018, and won his reelection campaign in 2022.

Collins also told supporters that his campaign had established a political action committee -- Shelby Vote 901 -- that he said would support other candidates who shared his vision for moving Memphis and Shelby County forward. After he announced his candidacy, Collins held an impromptu fundraiser, quickly raising at least $5,000 toward his stated goal of garnering $25,000 by the end of June.

Collins has served as chief administrative officer under Harris since 2022, when Harris appointed him to the position. He was also a Memphis city councilman from 2008 until 2015, representing Whitehaven and serving as council chair in 2009. He unsuccessfully ran for Memphis mayor in 2015.

Collins was the deputy director of the Shelby County Division of Corrections and previously led the Shelby County Office of Reentry, a position to which Harris named him in 2018.

Mark Russell and John Klyce of The Commercial Appeal contributed to this story.

Brooke Muckerman covers Shelby County Government for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter @BrookeMuckerman.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Harold Collins announces run for Shelby County mayor