U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Amarillo) has already made his feelings known about next year’s mayoral election, throwing his weight behind businessman Alex Fairly.

Fairly, the president of the Fairly Group, has been floated as a potential mayoral candidate for months in the race to succeed retiring Mayor Ginger Nelson. While he has not yet declared himself a candidate for mayor, Jackson believes he is the man who needs to replace Nelson.

“I visited with Alex Fairly this week while back home in Amarillo, and let me say this: he’d make a FANTASTIC mayor,” Jackson wrote in a Facebook post. “He’s a proven advocate for Amarillo’s taxpayers, and he’s already stopped a HUGE tax increase with the civic center fiasco. If Alex runs, he has my TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!”

Jackson’s push for Fairly comes just weeks after Fairly won a decisive victory in his lawsuit to stop the City Council’s attempt to issue debt to rebuild the Amarillo Civic Center Complex. Fairly, who opposed a bond for the Civic Center in 2020, sued to stop the debt issuance that would have effectively financed the same project that had already been rejected by voters.

Thus far, no candidates have launched bids for mayor. Candidate filing will begin next month.