With the election about 10 months away, Steven Kendrick announced Thursday he’s running for mayor of Augusta.
Kendrick, who lost a 2022 runoff to incumbent Mayor Garnett Johnson, publicly revealed his plans on the podcast “More than the Masters.”
“I am,” Kendrick told host Bobby Boucher. “That’s not a secret. I’ve told everybody.”
Kendrick has served as deputy tax commissioner since 2022, when he stepped down from being the elected tax commissioner to run for mayor.
His rationale for running this time is to “help improve this city,” Kendrick said.
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Augusta is “struggling on many fronts” and “we need good leadership,” he said. “I think we’re still devoid of such, and I think I present an opportunity for people to get the right type of leadership at the right time.”
In the 10-way 2022 election for mayor, Kendrick finished with 39.4% of votes to Johnson’s 38.8%. In the runoff, Johnson had 53.4% to Kendrick’s 46.6%.
Kendrick made a first bid for elective office, running for mayor, in 2006. He was elected Richmond County tax commissioner as a Democrat two years later and ran unopposed for the post in 2012 – even after someone filched $25,000 from the office’s unlocked safe, an unsolved crime – 2016 and 2020.
An Augusta native, Kendrick has an MBA from Florida A&M University. He served as vice president and later president of the family business, Augusta Blueprint. Longtime Augusta Blueprint president and Kendrick’s father, James Kendrick, passed away in January.
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Steven Kendrick serves on the board of directors for the Augusta Economic Development Authority and numerous other local governing boards. He founded the E3 Leadership Foundation and Project Impact Augusta, mentoring and leadership programs for Augusta youth.
Augusta elects its nonpartisan mayor and commissioners during mid-year elections. Next year’s elections are scheduled for May 19, 2026.
