2014 municipal election In the
2014 municipal election, Ford was initially a candidate for Toronto City Council in Ward 2 Etobicoke North. However, he dropped out when his uncle, Rob Ford, withdrew from the
mayoral race after being diagnosed with an abdominal
tumour. Rob Ford then registered to run for the council seat, while Michael transferred his candidacy to the school board race. He also quickly earned a reputation for being more politically moderate and conciliatory than his uncles — including expressing admiration of
Justin Trudeau, whom both of his uncles were known for criticizing, and attending Toronto's
Pride Week parade.
Toronto City Council Councillor Rob Ford died on March 22, 2016, at which time the council seat in Ward 2 was declared vacant. After city council declared on May 6 that a by-election would be held to fill the seat, Michael Ford announced he would resign his trustee position to run for council. He won the by-election, winning 69.53 per cent of the vote over 11 other challengers. At 22, he is the youngest person in recent history to be elected to council. Ford ran for re-election in the
2018 municipal election in the newly expanded
Ward 1 Etobicoke North. He defeated fellow incumbent councillor
Vincent Crisanti. In July 2025, after Ford decided not to run for re-election at the provincial level, he became a registered lobbyist at Toronto City Hall.
Provincial politics In April 2022, Ford announced that he would run in the
June provincial election in
York South—Weston, for the
Progressive Conservative Party. He was appointed
Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism in the
Ford Ministry. On September 20, 2024, Ford took a leave of absence to prioritize his "health and well-being over the next couple of months." On January 24, 2025, Ford announced that he would not be running for re-election in the
2025 Ontario general election. == Post-political career ==