- Official Endorsement
The Coastal Bend Coalition proudly endorses
Paulette Guajardo
Corpus Christi City Council · Mayor · Election Day: November 3, 2026
- Meet the Candidate
A proven leader for Mayor.
Paulette Guajardo has served as Mayor of Corpus Christi since 2021, reelected in 2022 and again in December 2024, after four years on the city council before that. Of everyone on this ballot for Mayor, she has the clearest, most consistent voting record in support of the Inner Harbor desalination project and the federal funding needed to build it, a record she has kept up even while City Hall spent much of the past year consumed by political conflict.
On November 3, the choice is clear: Paulette Guajardo for Mayor.
Office
Corpus Christi City Council
District
Mayor
- Why We Endorse
Paulette Guajardo stands with the Coastal Bend.
Sustainable Growth
Guajardo says restoring Corpus Christi's reputation and credit rating with Austin, Washington, D.C., and regional partners is central to attracting the investment and jobs the city needs, alongside her "Corpus Christi Moving Forward" strategy for business recruitment and tourism.
Water Security
Guajardo has voted yes on the Inner Harbor desalination project's federal funding at every turn, including personally traveling to Washington, D.C. to advocate for it, and says that if reelected, she will put the project back on the agenda for an immediate vote.
Local Leadership
Voters have elected Guajardo to citywide office four times since 2016, and returned her to the mayor's office for a third term in December 2024, a record of sustained public trust few others on this ballot can match.
Infrastructure & Planning
Guajardo says she has expanded the city's street maintenance budget and championed the Concrete Street Maintenance Program to fix Corpus Christi's roads for the long term.
- Our Case for Paulette Guajardo
Re-Elect Paulette Guajardo: Leading on Water, When It Mattered Most
Corpus Christi’s water future needed champions early, and Paulette Guajardo showed up. When the council voted in June 2026 on whether to even apply for a $120 million federal WaterSMART grant for the Inner Harbor desalination plant, she was one of only four “yes” votes. She didn’t wait to see which way the wind was blowing; she’d already flown to Washington, D.C. herself to make the case for federal support, in person.
The application fell short on a close 5-4 vote, but that’s not the story here. The story is that when it counted, Guajardo was already in the room fighting for it. Every independent report on the desalination fight, and on her record as a whole, reaches the same conclusion: she has been a consistent, active supporter of the project, not a bystander.
Her reasoning was simple and forward-looking: “It is standard practice to go after grant funding before it’s being constructed. This is the way large infrastructure projects work.” That’s the mindset this region needs from its leaders: thinking ahead, doing the legwork, and not waiting for permission to go after the resources Corpus Christi is owed.
This November, re-elect Paulette Guajardo as Mayor. She has already proven she’ll go to bat for our water supply, and she has committed, in her own words, to put the Inner Harbor project back on the agenda for a vote if reelected. That’s the kind of leadership this region’s future depends on.
“If I am elected, I will place the Inner Harbor Desalination Plant on the agenda for an immediate vote.”
Paulette Guajardo
- In the Community
PAULETTE FOR MAYOR
- The Coalition's Position
Paulette Guajardo has the clearest record of any mayoral candidate on Corpus Christi’s defining issue, securing a reliable water supply through the Inner Harbor desalination project. The Coastal Bend Coalition endorses Paulette Guajardo for Mayor of Corpus Christi. Vote for Paulette Guajardo on November 3.
- Make Your Plan to Vote
Every vote counts.
- Early Voting
Oct 19– 30
- Election Day
November 3
- Your Race
CC Council · Mayor
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