Tonya C. Winton and Freda Powell/Photos by Winston and Powell Campaigns

The first two candidates placed their names on the ballot on Wednesday in the race to replace retiring Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson.

Tonya C. Winston and Freda Powell both filed their applications to run for mayor on Wednesday, according to reports from the City of Amarillo. Both women are the only candidates to verbally declare their intent to run for mayor, with the exception of Daniel Johnson, who has not yet filed.

Winston is an entrepreneur with a strong presence on social media, especially the TikTok platform. Meanwhile, Powell is a local mortician who has served on the Amarillo City Council since 2017, when she defeated James Schenck to win an open seat on the governing body. Since being first election, Powell has been re-elected twice, albeit by smaller margins than her fellow incumbent officeholders.

A number of other candidates have been rumored as potential mayoral contenders, including businessman Alex Fairly. However, as of this writing, no other candidates have filed for the city’s top elected office.

Candidates can file until Friday, February 17 for a spot on the ballot. Running for mayor comes with a filing fee of $100, or requires a petition in lieu of the filing fee.

The mayoral election will be held on Saturday, May 6.