Voters to decide mayoral and city council elections in Indianapolis


Indianapolis, Indiana, is holding primary elections on May 2, 2023. Candidates are competing to advance to the general election scheduled for Nov. 7, 2023. The filing deadline to run was on Feb. 3.

Candidates filed for city council and mayor. For city council, 21 of 25 incumbents are running for re-election. Incumbent Joe Hogsett, Bob Kern, Clif Marsiglio, Robin Shackleford, and Larry Vaughn are running in the Democratic primary for mayor. John L. Couch, James W. Jackson, Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, and Jefferson Shreve are running in the Republican primary for mayor.

As of April 2023, 62 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 26 are affiliated with the Republican Party, three are independents, seven identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors’ affiliations are unknown. While most mayoral elections in the 100 largest cities are nonpartisan, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party.

Indianapolis is the largest city in Indiana and the 15th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

Additional reading: