Ballotpedia is covering 30 mayoral elections in the top-100 most populous cities and state capitals in 2026. Of the 30 cities with mayoral elections in 2026, 29 hold nonpartisan elections, and one holds partisan elections. Click here to learn about how Ballotpedia identifies the partisan affiliation of mayors in cities with nonpartisan mayoral elections.
Below is a look at the current partisan breakdown of mayors in the top-100 most populous cities and state capitals.
Top-100 cities
In 2026, 22 are holding mayoral elections. Click here to see a list. At the start of 2026:
- Sixty-seven of the 100 largest cities had a Democratic mayor
- Eleven (16.4%) are holding mayoral elections in 2026.
- Twenty-two of the 100 largest cities had a Republican mayor
- Eight (36.4%) are holding mayoral elections in 2026.
The following chart shows the partisan affiliations of all mayors among the top 100 most populous cities.
Based on 2020 population estimates, 81% of the population of the top 100 cities lived in cities with Democratic mayors, and 14% lived in cities with Republican mayors at the start of 2026.
Since 2016, the number of Democratic-led top-100 cities has ranged from 61 to 67, and the number of Republican-led cities has ranged from 22 to 30. Currently, there are the most Democratic mayors and the fewest Republican mayors in the top-100 cities since 2016.
State capitals
Ten state capitals are holding mayoral elections in 2026, including eight capitals that fall outside of the top 100 cities. Click here to see a list. At the start of 2026,
- Thirty-three state capitals had a Democratic mayor
- Six are holding mayoral elections in 2026.
- Seven state capitals have a Republican mayor
- Two is holding a mayoral election in 2026.
Click here to see our analysis of partisanship in the 2026 municipal elections.