The general runoff for Jacksonville, Florida, was on May 16, 2023. The general election was held on March 21, and the filing deadline to run passed on Jan. 13.
Candidates competed for property appraiser, city council, and mayor. Runoffs were required for these races because no candidate received a majority of the general election vote.
Donna Deegan (D) defeated Daniel Davis (R) 52% to 48% in the runoff for mayor. Deegan will be the second Democrat to hold the office since 1993. Joyce Morgan (D) defeated Jason Fischer (R) 50.6% to 49.4% in the runoff for Duval County property appraiser. Candidates for city council competed in runoffs for At-large Position 5, District 2, District 7, District 8, District 9, District 11, and District 14. Two of two incumbents were re-elected in the city council runoffs.
Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida and the 12th-largest city in the U.S. by population.
Yemi Mobolade defeated Wayne W. Williams 57.5% to 42.5% in the general runoff for Colorado Springs mayor. The runoff was on May 16, 2023, while the general was held on April 4, and the filing deadline to run passed on Jan. 23.
While most mayoral elections in the 100 largest cities are nonpartisan, including this one, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party. Mobolade is an independent, while Williams is a Republican. Republican-affiliated mayors have held the position in Colorado Springs since 1979, according to The Gazette.
This year’s election in Colorado Springs is one of two mayoral elections in the 100 most populous U.S. cities that has resulted in partisan change this year. The other one — the mayoral runoff election in Jacksonville, Florida — also took place on Tuesday. Donna Deegan (D) defeated Daniel Davis (R) 52% to 48%.
As of May 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.
Colorado Springs is the second-largest city in Colorado and the 39th-largest city in the U.S. by population.
Donna Deegan (D) defeated Daniel Davis (R) 52% to 48% in the May 16 runoff election for mayor of Jacksonville, Florida. Deegan will be the second Democrat to hold the office since 1993.
Incumbent Mayor Lenny Curry (R) was term-limited. Curry was first elected in 2015, making Jacksonville the most populous American city with a Republican mayor.
Deegan and Davis advanced from a field of eight candidates in the March 21, 2023, general election, where Deegan received 39% of the vote and Davis received 25%.
Deegan founded two philanthropic organizations focused on breast cancer issues and was a local television news anchor and investigative journalist. Deegan’s endorsements included the Jacksonville chapter of the National Organization for Women PAC, Branch 53 of the North Florida Letter Carriers union, and former Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried’s (D) PAC, Won’t Back Down. In her Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, Deegan said her priorities included “improvements in infrastructure, public health, housing affordability, and an inclusive economy” and that “For too long, that leadership has been lacking in a City Hall that only works for a handful of well-connected people.”
Davis was the chief executive officer of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and served in the Florida House of Representatives, representing District 15 from 2010 to 2014. Davis’ endorsements included Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters (R), the Jacksonville Brotherhood of Firefighters, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R). In his election night speech, he said, “Will we elect a mayor who will stand with our brave men and women in uniform to make Jacksonville safer? Or will we, as Jacksonvillians, go down the pathway of San Francisco and New York?” In addition to his support for law enforcement, he highlighted his support for school choice and said he would “stand with Governor Ron DeSantis (R) to keep Florida free.”
Cherelle Parker defeated eight other candidates in the Democratic primary for mayor of Philadelphia on May 16. She faces David Oh—the only candidate who ran for the Republican nomination—in the general election on Nov. 7. Incumbent Jim Kenney (D) was first elected mayor in 2015 and was term-limited.
The city’s last 10 mayors were elected as Democrats. The last Republican to serve as mayor was Bernard Samuel, whose term ended in 1952.
Jeff Brown, Allan Domb, Helen Gym, Parker, and Rebecca Rhynhart had led the Democratic primary in fundraising and media mentions.
Parker was elected to the city council in 2016 and served until 2022 when she resigned to run for mayor. She began her political career as a city council staff member and served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2005 to 2016. Parker was elected the council’s majority leader in 2020. Her website said, “It was in this role where she focused on public safety, stabilizing “middle neighborhoods,” economic opportunity – especially for small businesses, and working to get city government to function like it should.”
In the three Philadelphia mayoral elections since 1999 that did not have an incumbent, the winner of the Democratic primary received a majority of the vote once—Kenney’s 56% in 2015. Michael Nutter won the Democratic primary in 2007 with 37% of the vote, and John Street won the Democratic primary in 1999 with 36% of the vote.
Before the primary, Anna Orso, Sean Collins Walsh, and Julia Terruso wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer: “To be clear, all of the major candidates will likely get at least some votes from every pocket of the city. But winning candidates typically have a strong base that they build out from…Rhynhart and Gym are both vying for liberal Center City voters, and Domb and Brown both probably need strong margins in the Northeast if they are going to win. And don’t forget about turnout. While Parker appears to have little competition for establishment-aligned Black voters, their share of the electorate has decreased over time, meaning she, too, will have to expand beyond her base to be successful.”
Marcus Biddle at WHYY wrote before the election that, “Most candidates are making public health issues like gun violence a campaign priority. How they plan to solve those problems is another story…Improving major public health issues in Philadelphia — the gun violence crisis and the opioid epidemic among them — could be a deciding issue for many voters in the city’s mayoral race…As for the city’s gun violence crisis, most candidates agreed that improving and expanding access to behavioral health support, therapy, and trauma treatment is an urgent need.”
The filing deadline for the primary was March 8, and the filing deadline for the general election for independent candidates is Aug. 1.
The primary election for Indianapolis, Indiana, was on May 2, 2023. Candidates competed to advance to the general election scheduled for Nov. 7, 2023. The filing deadline to run was on Feb. 3.
Candidates ran for city council and mayor. Incumbent Joe Hogsett, Bob Kern, Clif Marsiglio, Robin Shackleford, and Larry Vaughn ran in the Democratic primary for mayor. Hogsett advanced to the general with 58.4% of the vote. John L. Couch, James W. Jackson, Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, and Jefferson Shreve ran in the Republican primary for mayor. Shreve advanced to the general with 65.9% of the vote.
Eighteen of 21 city council incumbents advanced to the general election.
While most mayoral elections in the 100 largest cities are nonpartisan, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party. As of May 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.
Indianapolis is the largest city in Indiana and the 15th-largest city in the U.S. by population.
Incumbent Leirion Gaylor Baird defeated Suzanne Geist in the May 2, 2023, nonpartisan general election for mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska. Gaylor Baird received 54.2% of the vote to Geist’s 45.6%.
While mayoral elections in Lincoln are officially nonpartisan, candidates are often affiliated with one of the two major political parties. Gaylor Baird is affiliated with the Democratic Party, and Geist is affiliated with the Republican Party. The last Republican mayor of Lincoln, Mike Johanns, left office in 1998.
Gaylor Baird was first elected mayor in 2019 after she defeated Cyndi Lamm 54.5% to 45.3%. A former Lincoln City Council member, Gaylor Baird said public safety was her top priority. “I will continue to support our first responders with investments in personnel, equipment and facilities,” Gaylor Baird said.
Geist, a business owner, represented District 25 in the Nebraska State Senate from 2017 until she resigned on April 6, 2023. Geist said she would “… support law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders.”
Gaylor Baird criticized Geist’s Senate voting record on abortion, transgender issues, and concealed firearms. “Her voting record at the state Capitol makes it clear that her priorities are not our shared priorities. … They hurt Lincoln and they hurt Nebraska,” Gaylor Baird said.
Geist criticized Gaylor Baird’s record on public safety. Geist tweeted, “It’s important to understand that law enforcement supports me, not @MayorLeirion for a reason. I’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement in the legislature because it was the right thing to do. Leirion stood by when there were riots in ’20 instead of with the police.”
The Lincoln Fire Fighters Association, EMILY’s List, and the Sierra Club endorsed Gaylor Baird. The Lincoln Police Union, Gov. Jim Pillen (R), and U.S. Sens. Pete Ricketts (R) and Deb Fischer (R) endorsed Geist.
Both candidates raised over $1 million each, doubling the previous fundraising record for a Lincoln mayoral race set in 2019. Geist’s top contributors were businessman Tom Peed and his firm, Sandhills Global, which donated a combined $850,000 to Geist’s campaign. Gaylor Baird’s top contributor was NRC CEO Mike Hays, who donated $250,000 to her campaign.
Gaylor Baird and Geist were the top-two vote-getters in the April 4, 2023, nonpartisan primary. Gaylor Baird received 48.6% of the vote, and Geist received 33.9%. Stan Parker, a candidate affiliated with the Republican Party, received 17.4%.
As of May 2023, the partisan breakdown of the mayors of the 100 largest U.S. cities was 62 Democrats, 26 Republicans, three independents, and seven nonpartisans. Two mayors’ partisan affiliations were unknown. Based on 2020 population estimates, 76.1% of the population of the top 100 cities lived in cities with Democratic mayors, and 16.2% lived in cities with Republican mayors at the start of 2022.
Lincoln also held elections for seats in the city council and the Lincoln Airport Authority on May 2, 2023.
Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston are running in a runoff election for Mayor of Denver, Colorado, on June 6. They advanced from a field of 22 candidates in the April 4 general election. Johnston received 25% of the vote, and Brough received 20%.
Incumbent Michael Hancock (D), first elected in 2011, is term-limited. This is Denver’s fifth open mayoral election since 1959.
Denverite‘s Kyle Harris wrote that residents “are worried about the city’s affordability … public safety and rising crime … [and] homelessness. People want solutions, and it’s clear that the people of the city understand that the mayor’s seat can try to tackle many of these issues.” Harris added, “The mayor is powerful … [and] often described as the strongest elected position in the state.”
Harris said Brough and Johnston are “centrist candidates … [who] cleaved toward the middle, offering an optimistic vision while gently pushing for using policing in their homelessness solutions.” While the election is officially nonpartisan, Brough and Johnston are Democrats.
Brough was chief of staff for former Mayor John Hickenlooper from 2003 to 2009 before becoming president and C.E.O. of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, a post she held until 2021.
Johnston is a former educator and school administrator who served in the state Senate from 2007 to 2019. Johnston finished third in the state’s 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Both candidates led in fundraising throughout the election cycle, having raised a cumulative $2.7 million dollars: $1.4 million to Brough and $1.3 million to Johnston.
Satellite spending has also played a role in this race. Advancing Denver has spent $2.2 million supporting Johnston, and A Better Denver has spent $1 million supporting Brough. Both organizations were created specifically to support their respective candidates.
A recent poll found 38.9% of respondents supporting Johnston, and 34.1% supporting Brough, both within the poll’s margin of error. Twenty-seven percent of respondents were undecided.
Both candidates say public safety, homelessness, and housing affordability are key issues in this race.
On the topic of homelessness, for example, Brough said, “[T]here is not a single, monolithic homeless population and so we need a coordinated set of nuanced, population-specific approaches,” including updates to the city’s shelter system, creating supportive housing units, and investing in services.
Johnston said, “[W]e must address … the lack of affordable housing, the absence of mental health support, and an explosion in the severity of addiction drugs.” Johnston pledged to “build 1,400 additional units of housing … ending homelessness in Denver by the end of my first term.”
Denver has a strong mayor government, where the mayor serves as chief executive, and the city council operates as a legislative branch. The mayor sets the city budget, nominates department heads, and appoints more than 700 officials citywide. The mayor also oversees the Denver International Airport, police and sheriff departments, and the community planning and development department.
Incumbent Leirion Gaylor Baird and Suzanne Geist are running in the May 2, 2023, nonpartisan general election for mayor of Lincoln, Neb. They advanced to the general election after being the top-two vote-getters in the nonpartisan primary on April 4, 2023.
While mayoral elections in Lincoln are officially nonpartisan, candidates for office are often affiliated with one of the two major political parties. Gaylor Baird is affiliated with the Democratic Party, and Geist is affiliated with the Republican Party. The last Republican mayor of Lincoln, Mike Johanns, left office in 1998.
Gaylor Baird was first elected mayor in 2019 after she defeated Cyndi Lamm 54.5% to 45.3% in the general election. A former Lincoln City Council member, Gaylor Baird has focused on public safety, economic development, and infrastructure. “Public safety has always been my top priority, and I will continue to support our first responders with investments in personnel, equipment and facilities. I will continue to: prioritize investments in our streets and other infrastructure that grow our city; bolster our economy by facilitating Lincoln’s record-setting development and construction activity, supporting local businesses, and investing in job training programs,” Gaylor Baird said.
Geist, a business owner, represented District 25 in the Nebraska State Senate from 2017 until April 6, 2023, when she resigned. Geist said that, as mayor, she would support law enforcement, promote economic growth, and invest in local infrastructure. “Together, we will work to support law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders. We will have a plan to make sure the streets of Lincoln are well-maintained for a smooth commute across our community. It will take all of us working together to grow Lincoln and promote prosperity for all,” Geist said.
Gaylor Baird has criticized Geist for her voting record while serving in the state senate, including on abortion, transgender issues, and concealed firearms. “Her voting record at the state Capitol makes it clear that her priorities are not our shared priorities. … They hurt Lincoln and they hurt Nebraska,” Baird said.
Geist has criticized Gaylor Baird’s record on public safety. Geist tweeted, “It’s important to understand that law enforcement supports me, not @MayorLeirion for a reason. I’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement in the legislature because it was the right thing to do. Leirion stood by when there were riots in ’20 instead of with the police.”
The Lincoln Fire Fighters Association, EMILY’s List, and the Sierra Club endorsed Gaylor Baird. The Lincoln Police Union, Gov. Jim Pillen (R), and U.S. Sens. Pete Ricketts (R) and Deb Fischer (R) endorsed Geist.
According to Nebraska Public Media, campaign contributions in the race had surpassed $2 million as of March 27, doubling the previous fundraising record for a Lincoln mayoral race set in 2019. Geist’s top contributors were businessman Tom Peed and his firm, Sandhills Global, which donated a combined total of $850 thousand to Geist’s campaign. Gaylor Baird’s top contributor was the Lincoln Fire Fighters Association, which donated $50 thousand to her campaign.
Gaylor Baird received 48.6% of the vote in the April 4 primary, and Geist received 33.9%. Stan Parker, a candidate affiliated with the Republican Party, received 17.4%.
With a population of around 293,000, Lincoln is the fifth largest state capitol holding mayoral elections this year. Lincoln is also holding elections for seats in the city council and the Lincoln Airport Authority on May 2, 2023.
As of April 2023, the partisan breakdown of the mayors of the 100 largest U.S. cities was 62 Democrats, 26 Republicans, three independents, and seven nonpartisans. Two mayors’ partisan affiliations were unknown. Based on 2020 population estimates, 76.1% of the population of the top 100 cities lived in cities with Democratic mayors, and 16.2% lived in cities with Republican mayors at the start of 2022.
The general runoff for Colorado Springs, Colorado, is on May 16, 2023. The general election was held on April 4, and the filing deadline to run passed on Jan. 23.
Candidates are competing for mayor of Colorado Springs after no mayoral candidate received a majority of votes on April 4. Yemi Mobolade and Wayne W. Williams were the top-two vote-getters with 29.8% and 19.2%, respectively. They advanced to the runoff on May 16.
While most mayoral elections in the 100 largest cities are nonpartisan, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party. Incumbent John W. Suthers is affiliated with the Republican Party. 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.
Colorado Springs is the second-largest city in Colorado and the 39th-largest city in the U.S. by population.
Forty mayoral elections are taking place in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population and the 50 state capitals in 2023.
Ballotpedia has tracked the partisan affiliation of the mayors of the 100 largest U.S. cities since 2016, and we’ve tracked the partisan affiliation of state capital mayors since 2021.
Of the 40 cities with mayoral elections in 2023, 33 hold nonpartisan elections, and seven hold partisan elections. In cities where mayoral elections are nonpartisan, Ballotpedia uses direct communication from officeholders, previous candidacy for partisan office, or identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets to identify an officeholder’s partisan affiliation.
Twenty-nine of the 100 largest U.S. cities are holding mayoral elections in 2023. Twenty of those cities have a Democratic mayor, six have a Republican mayor, two mayors are independent or nonpartisan, and one mayor’s partisan affiliation is unknown. Of the three top-100 mayoral elections that have occurred this year, no offices have changed party control.
Across the country, Democrats hold 62 top-100 mayoral offices, Republicans hold 26, independents hold three, and nonpartisan mayors hold seven. Two mayors’ partisan affiliations are unknown.
Since Ballotpedia began tracking mayoral partisanship in 2016, the number of Democratic mayors in the top 100 cities has ranged from 61 (in 2019) to 67 (in 2016). The number of Republican mayors has ranged from 25 (in 2021) to 30 (in 2019).
Eighteen state capitals are holding mayoral elections in 2023, including 11 capitals that fall outside of the top 100 cities. Heading into the year, 15 of those capitals had a Democratic mayor, one had a Republican mayor, one mayor was nonpartisan, and one mayor’s partisan affiliation was unknown. So far, one 2023 state capital election has resulted in a mayoral office changing party control. In the April 4 nonpartisan election for mayor of Springfield, Illinois, Republican Misty Buscher defeated incumbent Democrat Jim Langfelder.
As Buscher has not yet assumed office, there are currently 38 Democratic state capital mayors, four Republican mayors, one independent mayor, two nonpartisan mayors, and five mayors with unknown partisan affiliation.
