The race for Lansing's next mayor is officially underway, with the final list of candidates solidified on May 13.
Political analysts say Mayor Tony Benavides has an advantage over most of the candidates in the race. They say the fact that he is already sitting in the mayor's office and in the public eye puts him out front.
But this also could be a disadvantage since he has to devote less time to the campaign. Benavides though began working towards the election as soon as he took office four months ago.
Benavides says he has met with local unions, the editorial board for the Lansing State Journal, and held three fundraisers. He says everything seems to be moving in the right direction.
The mayor did lose his campaign manager Scott Hughes, who resigned last Friday. The reasons are unknown.
