Brown defeated incumbent Linda Jeffrey by a narrow margin in the Brampton mayoralty race on October 22, 2018. In his acceptance speech, he thanked former Premier Bill Davis for his endorsement and said, "I’ve got so much hope in my heart for what’s ahead for Brampton. You know why? I know we can turn this around, I know Brampton is going to be back, Brampton is going to become an economic engine". According to the Toronto Star, Jeffrey had the backing of "PC party operatives — Doug Ford’s campaign manager organized a fundraiser for her".