Election day is still more than seven months away, yet the race for Birmingham Mayor is already heating up as an incumbent Randall Woodfin launches an offense against his earliest critic and challenger.

Activity is ramping up, even though Woodfin has not formally announced his run for a third term – at least not in the traditional sense.

The Woodfin for Mayor campaign today sent messages to potential supporters urging them to support his campaign financially to help fend off an early challenger.

“…the race for Birmingham’s future just got real,” Woodin says in the letter personally addressed to supporters.

“We officially have our first opponent, and that means one thing: the fight to keep pushing our city forward starts right now.”

While he has remained publicly quiet, the Woodfin campaign ended 2024 with $480,752, according to Alabama Secretary of State reports.

Woodfin, who is in his second term as mayor, previously said he believed in term limits, but reversed course several months ago in a podcast with Iva Williams, on Urbanham.com said he would seek a third term.

Without naming her, Woodfin in his latest solicitation alludes to the early announced challenge from state Rep. Juandalynn Givan for the mayor’s seat.

“Here’s the deal: The opposition is already beginning to run misinformation campaigns on social media and around the community attempting to attack and muddy waters around my administration’s accomplishments over the past few years,” Woodfin said. “But we don’t roll like that.”

Givan has centered her campaign around the city’s bloody 2024, Woodfin’s lack of response, and how she would reverse the deadly trend. Birmingham ended 2024 with 151 homicides, the highest number of killings in the city in nearly a century.

Woodfin in his message said his campaign does not engage in mud slinging or negative communication.

“That’s just not what we do. Our record of accomplishments outshine any of the dirty tricks some folks want to throw at us. Our opponents are counting on us to slip up, to lose focus, or to get complacent.”

He then asks for financial support with a suggestion of $20.25 for the new year of 2025.

“Let’s get to work,” Woodfin ends the message.

In another mass message, the Woodfin campaign on Monday sent text messages to supporters with a photo of him and his infant child seeking support for his third term.

Back in September, around the time of the podcast, Woodfin sent an email alluding to having begun his reelection campaign. “I can’t begin to tell you how inspired I am by what we’ve accomplished together since announcing our re-election campaign,” he wrote.

“In just five days, we raised an astonishing $333,000 from hundreds of grassroots supporters — breaking our previous record by over $60,000!To put that into perspective, that’s more than double what any of our opponents raised in the entire last election cycle.”

Several attempts by AL.com to get direct comments from Woodfin or his representatives regarding the campaign have so far gone unanswered.

However, in the September email, Woodfin drew attention to several successes, including the Birmingham Promise program, revitalizing neighborhoods, and taking ”bold action to pardon cannabis possession charges” to give people a second chance.