The leader of Cardiff Council has been put on Labour’s shortlist of candidates running in the next Senedd election.
A number of other city councillors have also been selected alongside Cllr Thomas in Labour’s shortlist for a seat in the Caerdydd Penarth constituency.
Caerdydd Penarth, made up of what used to be Cardiff West and Cardiff South and Penarth, is one of 16 new constituencies that will be contested through a totally different voting system.
In a statement on social media, Cllr Thomas said he is running because he believes he has got the “experience and vision to make a difference in our constituency”.
Originally from Aberystwyth, the ward councillor for Splott was first elected to Cardiff Council in 2012.
When asked in September last year, Cllr Thomas refused to say whether or not he would stand in the 2026 Senedd elections. That changed when he was asked again in June 2025.
Two former First Ministers, Mark Drakeford (Cardiff West) and Vaughan Gething (Cardiff South and Penarth) have already confirmed they won't be seeking re-eletion.
The three other Labour Cardiff councillors joining Cllr Thomas as shortlisted candidates for Caerdydd Penarth are Cllr Peter Bradbury, Cllr Kanaya Singh and Cllr Helen Gunter.
Cllr Bradbury is the ward councillor for Caerau and a cabinet member for childrens services, tackling poverty and supporting young people.
On his register of interests on Cardiff Council’s website, it states that he works as a researcher for Alex Barros-Curtis, the Labour MP for Cardiff West. He has held office as a councillor since 2012.
Cllr Singh has represented the ward of Riverside since 2017 and Cllr Gunter was elected as ward councillor for Butetown in the most recent local government elections in 2022.
When people go to the polls next year, they will be voting using the closed list proportional representation system.
Six Senedd Members will be elected to each constituency and the Senedd will be expanded to 96 members instead of the 60 that currently sit.
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