Tagmunicipal elections

Parker wins Philadelphia’s Democratic mayoral primary

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.

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United States mayoral elections, 2023

Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2023)

James Kenney



A roundup of May 6 Texas election results

Local elections took place across Texas on Saturday, May 6. Ballotpedia covered 47 ballot measures on May 6. That was nearly three times more than we covered in May Texas elections in 2019 and 2021, mainly due to an increase in bond measures and charter amendments this year.  

As of this writing, results for some of the 47 measures were not yet available. Those that received the most media attention were voted on in San Antonio, El Paso, and Austin.

San Antonio

Voters rejected Proposition A 71.63% to 28.37%. The amendment, a citizen-initiated measure, would have made the following changes: 

  • Established a city justice director appointed by the mayor and city council; 
  • Prohibited police from issuing citations or making arrests for certain misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses;
  • Prohibited police from enforcing criminal abortion laws;
  • Banned law enforcement use of no-knock warrants and chokeholds; and
  • Used citations instead of arrests for certain misdemeanors.

The San Antonio Police Officers Association opposed the measure. President Danny Diaz said, “This wasn’t a party issue. This was a community issue. The work doesn’t stop tonight. The work continues so that we go out into the community so that they understand what we’re doing as police officers for them to make sure they are safe.”

Act 4 SA led the effort to get the measure on the ballot. Its executive Director, Ananda Thomas, criticized the measure opponents, saying, “lies and the misinformation that were put out there backed by over $2 million. We know at the end of the day, in the long run, the people will always win over big-money interests.”

El Paso

Voters decided 11 charter amendments, including Proposition K, a citizen initiative related to the climate. Voters rejected Proposition K 83.5% to 16.47%. 

Among other things, Proposition K would have established the Climate Department and the Climate Director, which would have carried out the amendment’s three policy goals — “to reduce the City’s contribution to climate change; second, to invest in an environmentally sustainable future; and third, to advance the cause of climate justice.” 

El Paso Matters’s Diego Mendoza-Moyers said, “the Climate Charter sparked fierce opposition – and heavy campaign spending – from business groups such as the El Paso Chamber and the Houston-based Consumer Energy Alliance, which collectively poured over $1 million into television and web advertisements and campaign mailers urging voters to oppose the measure. Supporters of the Climate Charter spent about $30,000 in the election.”

Austin

Voters decided two competing initiatives related to police oversight. Voters supported Proposition A 79.86% to 20.14% and rejected Proposition B 81.09% to 18.91%. Equity Action sponsored Proposition A, while the Austin Police Association-backed Voters for Oversight and Police Accountability sponsored Proposition B. 

Proposition A authorizes the Office of Police Oversight to investigate anonymous complaints, gather evidence and directly interview witnesses, and conduct a preliminary investigation of every complaint and determine whether a full investigation is warranted. The measure allows the Office of Police Oversight to analyze all force incident data and conduct random audits of body camera video.

Under Proposition B, certain provisions regarding the Office of Police Oversight would have been removed from the city Code of Ordinances, including a provision of the Office of Police Oversight to receive anonymous complaints. 

On Saturday night, the Austin Police Association tweeted they were “taking immediate action to determine the city’s intentions regarding the implementation and enforcement of the illegal provisions contained in Prop A.” 

According to Community Impact’s Ben Thompson, “The face-off between the ballot measures is the latest in a series of high-profile policing decisions in the city through recent years, following a 2021 vote in which Austinites rejected a police staffing requirement and voted to ban low-level marijuana enforcement and no-knock raids in the city in last spring’s election. This year, the pending outcome of this May’s proposition election also led City Council to hold off on approving a new labor agreement with the police union.”

Mayoral and municipal elections

Ballotpedia covered mayoral elections in six cities on May 6. Incumbents in all six cities were running for re-election, and all incumbents were re-elected. Three of those cities — Fort Worth, Garland, and Irving — have Republican mayors, while Dallas has a Democratic mayor. San Antonio’s mayor is an independent. We have been unable to verify the partisan affiliation of Arlington’s mayor. 

Ballotpedia is covering 40 mayoral elections this year, including upcoming elections on May 16 in Jacksonville, Fla., and Philadelphia, Pa

Ballotpedia also covered city council and other elections on May 6 in the following cities and counties. Click to see results. 



City council and mayoral incumbents win re-election in Arlington, Texas

The general election for Arlington, Texas, was on May 6, 2023. The filing deadline to run passed on Feb. 17.

Candidates competed for Arlington City Council Districts 3, 4, 5, and 8, as well as for mayor of Arlington. Incumbent Jim Ross won re-election as mayor with 51.8% of the vote to Amy Cearnal’s 48.2%.

Incumbents Nikkie Hunter, Andrew Piel, Rebecca Boxall, and Barbara Odom-Wesley won re-election to Districts 3, 4, 5, and 8, respectively.

While most mayoral elections in the 100 largest cities are nonpartisan, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party. Arlington has a mayor with an unknown partisan affiliation. 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.

Arlington is the seventh-largest city in Texas and the 49th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

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City council and mayoral incumbents win re-election in Dallas, Texas

The general election for Dallas, Texas, was on May 6, 2023. The filing deadline to run passed on Feb. 17.

Candidates competed for Dallas City Council Districts 1-14, as well as for mayor of Dallas. Incumbent Eric Johnson won re-election as mayor with 93% of the vote. Incumbents Chad West, Jesse Moreno, Carolyn King Arnold, Jaime Resendez, Omar Narvaez, Adam Bazaldua, Tennell Atkins, Paula Blackmon, Jaynie Schultz, Cara Mendelsohn, Gay Donnell Willis, and Paul Ridley won re-election to the city council.

Zarin Gracey and Joe Tave advanced to a runoff election for District 3 after neither secured a majority of votes. Gracey received 46.2% of the vote in the general election, while Tave received 25.8%. The runoff is on June 10, 2023.

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest city in the U.S. by population.

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City council and mayoral incumbents win re-election in Fort Worth, Texas

The general election for Fort Worth, Texas, was on May 6, 2023. The filing deadline to run passed on Feb. 17. 

Candidates competed for Fort Worth City Council Districts 2-11, as well as for mayor of Fort Worth. Incumbent Mattie Parker won re-election as mayor with 69.3% of the vote. Incumbents Carlos Flores, Michael Crain, Gyna Bivens, Jared Williams, Chris Nettles, Elizabeth Beck, and Alan Blaylock won re-election to the city council.

Rick Herring and Jeanette Martinez advanced to a runoff election for District 11 after neither secured a majority of votes. Martinez received 36.3% of the vote in the general election, while Herring received 34.1%. The runoff is on June 10, 2023.

Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in Texas and the 13th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

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City council and mayoral incumbents win re-election in Garland, Texas

The general election for Garland, Texas, was on May 6, 2023. The filing deadline to run passed on Feb. 17.

Candidates competed for Garland City Council Districts 3, 6, 7, and 8, as well as for mayor of Garland. Incumbent Scott LeMay won re-election as mayor with 75.4% of the vote to Roel Garcia’s 24.6%. Incumbents Edward Moore and Dylan Hedrick won re-election to the city council.

While most mayoral elections in the 100 largest cities are nonpartisan, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party. Garland has a Republican mayor. 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.

Garland is the 13th-largest city in Texas and the 91st-largest city in the U.S. by population.

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City council incumbents win re-election in Plano, Texas

The general election for Plano, Texas, was on May 6, 2023. The filing deadline to run passed on Feb. 17. 

Candidates competed for Plano City Council Places 1, 3, 5, and 7. Four of eight council seats were up for election.

Incumbents Maria Tu, Shelby Williams, and Julie Holmer won re-election for Places 1, 5, and 7, respectively. Rick Horne won election for Place 3.

Plano is the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 73rd-largest city in the U.S. by population.

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Irving, Texas, city council races head to a runoff

The general election for Irving, Texas, was on May 6, 2023. The filing deadline to run passed on Feb. 17. 

Candidates competed for Irving City Council Places 3 and 5, as well as for mayor of Irving. Incumbent Rick Stopfer won re-election as mayor and ran unopposed.

Incumbent Mark Zeske and Abdul Khabeer advanced to a runoff election for Place 3 after neither secured a majority of votes. Khabeer received 47.9% of the vote in the general election, while Zeske received 32.8%. The runoff is on June 10, 2023.

Mark Cronenwett and Heather Stroup advanced to a runoff election for Place 5 after neither secured a majority of votes. Cronenwett received 40.7% of the vote in the general election, while Stroup received 27.5%. The runoff is on June 10, 2023.

Irving is the 11th-largest city in Texas and the 86th-largest city in the U.S. by population.

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Two city council races in San Antonio, Texas, headed to a runoff

The general election for San Antonio, Texas, was on May 6, 2023. The filing deadline to run passed on Feb. 17. 

Candidates competed for San Antonio City Council Districts 1-10, as well as for mayor of San Antonio. Incumbent Ron Nirenberg won re-election as mayor with 60.9% of the vote. Seven of eight incumbents won re-election to the city council.

Incumbent Mario Bravo and Sukh Kaur advanced to a runoff election for District 1 after neither secured a majority of votes. Kaur received 33.9% of the vote in the general election, while Bravo received 26.0%. The runoff is on June 10, 2023.

Marina Alderete Gavito and Dan Rossiter advanced to a runoff election for District 7 after neither secured a majority of votes. Alderete Gavito received 42.6% of the vote in the general election, while Rossiter received 21.1%. The runoff is on June 10, 2023.

San Antonio is the second-largest city in Texas and the seventh-largest city in the U.S. by population.

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Eleven seats up for election in San Antonio, Texas

The general election for San Antonio, Texas, is on May 6, 2023. The filing deadline to run passed on Feb. 17. 

Candidates are competing for San Antonio City Council Districts 1-10, as well as for mayor of San Antonio. Incumbents Mario Bravo, Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, Phyllis Viagran, Adriana Garcia, Teri Castillo, Melissa Cabello Havrda, Manny Pelaez, and John Courage are running for re-election to the city council. Ron Nirenberg is running for re-election as mayor of San Antonio.

While most mayoral elections in the 100 largest cities are nonpartisan, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party. San Antonio has an independent 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.

San Antonio is the second-largest city in Texas and the seventh-largest city in the U.S. by population.

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