For Mayor.
For Mankato.
For the next generation.
Toby Leonard is a 30-year Mankato resident, Army veteran, educator, and small-business owner running to bring accountability, responsibility, and transparency to city hall — and to make sure we’re setting things up for our kids.
Meet Toby
Three decades of service for Mankato.
Since 1994, Toby has supported local students, served in the Army, and taught at the college level. He came to Mankato three decades ago, earned multiple degrees from Minnesota State University, and never left — because this is home.
As a U.S. Army and Army Reserve veteran, Toby served as an operating room specialist, assisting with surgeries. Back home, he taught at South Central College and in MSU’s Upward Bound program, helping underprivileged high school students get to college for more than 30 years.
Today he works full-time as a security counselor at the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center and has owned a small Mankato business for over a decade. His science background and independent streak shape how he’d govern: study the evidence, spend carefully, and listen first.
Read Toby’s full story“If I'm not willing to talk to you and listen to you, what's the point.”
The Platform
Practical priorities for accountable city government.
Track Record
A campaign with growing public support.
Toby has run for mayor twice before — and every time, more of Mankato has said yes. From roughly 11% in the 2018 primary to nearly 30% citywide in the 2022 general election, support for his message of efficiency, affordability, and accountability keeps growing.
That steady growth gives the 2026 campaign a stronger foundation.
The 2026 primary is August 11. It narrows the field from three candidates to two — and it’s where your vote counts the most.
Review the candidates, issue by issue.
We built a fair, side-by-side comparison of all three candidates for mayor — from their own words and materials. See where Toby, the incumbent, and the challenger actually stand, issue by issue, and decide for yourself.
In the community
A Mankato neighbor, ready to serve.
Toby has built his life in Mankato over the past 30 years. These moments offer a look at the person behind the campaign.
Follow along
Campaign updates, straight from Facebook.
Toby runs this campaign in the open — door to door and online. He posts events, campaign news, and answers to residents’ questions on Facebook, and everything he shares appears here automatically.
Follow the page to see where he’ll be knocking next, catch campaign announcements first, and ask him anything — he answers his own messages.
If I'm not willing to talk to you and listen to you, what's the point.
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Get involved
A local campaign, supported by Mankato residents.
Volunteer, request a yard sign, or make your plan to vote — every bit of local support matters in a city race.
Take action