Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2019)
From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 3 min
Thirty-one mayoral elections were held in the 100 largest U.S. cities in 2019. Five partisan changes took place as a result of those elections. Democrats gained three mayorships: two previously held by Republicans and one previously held by an independent. Republicans won one office held by an unaffiliated mayor, and one office where the incumbent's partisan affiliation was unknown. In 20 of the 31 cities, the incumbent was Democratic at the start of 2019. Six incumbents were Republican, three were independent, one was unaffiliated, and the affiliation of one was unknown.
The following shows the change from the pre-election incumbent's affiliation to the 2019 winner's affiliation for the four races in which a change occurred. Click here for details about each race.
- Mayoral runoff election in Phoenix, Arizona: Republican to Democratic
- Mayoral election in Garland, Texas: Unknown to Republican
- Mayoral election in Raleigh, North Carolina: Independent to Democratic
- Mayoral election in Wichita, Kansas: Republican to Democratic
- Mayoral election in Aurora, Colorado: Unaffiliated to Republican
One partisan change occurred outside of an election. Fremont Mayor Lily Mei, formerly nonpartisan, joined the Democratic Party in 2019.[1]
In most of the nation's largest cities, mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan, though many officeholders and candidates are affiliated with political parties.
Democratic mayors oversaw 65 of the 100 largest cities at the beginning of 2016, 64 at the beginning of 2017, 63 at the start of 2018, and 61 at the start of 2019.
This page tracked mayoral elections in the 100 largest U.S. cities in 2019 and noted partisan changes that occurred. The page includes:
- Who ran the cities?: A chart that tracked mayors by partisan affiliation (or lack thereof) throughout 2019
- Changes in party affiliation: A table that tracked results for each 2019 mayoral election, noting partisan changes
- Battleground election summary: Summaries of 2019 battleground mayoral races and links to further coverage
- Mayoral partisanship: 2016-2019: A chart showing the partisan breakdown of mayors from 2016 to 2019
Who ran the cities?[edit]
Once mayors elected in 2019 assumed office, the mayors of 65 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party.
Note: Ballotpedia used one or more of the following sources to identify each officeholder's partisan affiliation: (1) direct communication from the officeholder, (2) current or previous candidacy for partisan office, or (3) identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets.
Changes in party affiliation[edit]
Thirty-one mayoral elections in the largest cities were held in 2019. Five offices changed party control:
- Democrat Kate Gallego won a special runoff election in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 12. Thelda Williams (R) was the incumbent. The general election was held on November 6, 2018.
- Republican Scott LeMay (R) won the mayoral election in Garland, Texas, on May 4, after running unopposed. He succeeded Lori Barnett Dodson, whose affiliation was unknown.
- In Raleigh, North Carolina, Mary-Ann Baldwin (D) won the nonpartisan mayoral race; she and Charles Francis advanced from an October 8, 2019, election, and Francis announced that he would not seek a runoff against Baldwin. The pre-election incumbent was independent Nancy McFarlane, who did not seek re-election.
- Mike Coffman (R) won the November 5 mayoral election in Aurora, Colorado. Incumbent Bob LeGare (unaffiliated) did not run in the 2019 election.
- Democrat Brandon Whipple won Wichita, Kansas' mayoral election on November 5. He defeated Republican incumbent Jeff Longwell.
Battleground election summary[edit]
Below is a summary of mayoral battleground elections in 2019:
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Phoenix[edit]
- On March 12, a special runoff election was held for mayor of Phoenix, Arizona. Former Phoenix City Council member Kate Gallego defeated fellow former council member Daniel Valenzuela. While the election was nonpartisan, both candidates were Democrats who cast similar votes on the council. The race resulted in a partisan change. Thelda Williams, a Republican, served as interim mayor after former Mayor Greg Stanton (D) resigned in May 2018.
Jacksonville[edit]
- On March 19, Lenny Curry (R) was re-elected mayor of Jacksonville, Florida. He defeated two Republicans and an independent. No Democratic candidate filed to run in the race. The second-place finisher was Anna Brosche (R), a member of the Jacksonville City Council.
Chicago[edit]
- Chicago, Illinois—the third-largest city in the nation—held its fourth open mayoral election in 100 years. Lori Lightfoot defeated Toni Preckwinkle in an April 2 runoff election. They had advanced from a 14-candidate field in the general election on February 26. That was the largest mayoral candidate field in the city's history.
Tampa[edit]
- Former police chief Jane Castor defeated philanthropist David Straz in the April 23 runoff for Tampa's open mayoral seat. Bob Buckhorn, Tampa's mayor, was prevented by term limits from seeking re-election. Transportation and congestion relief were major issues in the race.
Kansas City[edit]
- Cty council member Quinton Lucas defeated council member Jolie Justus in the Kansas City, Missouri, mayoral election on June 18. Incumbent Mayor Sly James was prevented by term limits from seeking re-election. Lucas campaigned as an outsider while Justus focused on her experience in the state Senate and city council. A primary election took place on April 2 to narrow the field of 11 candidates to two.
Dallas[edit]
- See also: Mayoral election in Dallas, Texas (2019)
- Dallas, Texas, held a nonpartisan election for mayor on May 4 and a runoff on June 8, 2019. State Rep. Eric Johnson (D) defeated City Councilman Scott Griggs in a race characterized by debate over who was best equipped to build consensus on the city council. Dallas has a council-manager form of government, meaning the mayor serves as a member of the city council. The seat was open as incumbent Mike Rawlings (D), in office since 2011, was prevented by term limits from seeking re-election.
Denver[edit]
- Incumbent Michael Hancock won re-election against urban development consultant Jamie Giellis on June 4, 2019. Denverite described the election as "a referendum on growth and its far-reaching effects, from transportation options and economic prowess to neighborhood aesthetics and displacement."[2]
Nashville[edit]
- At-Large Metro Councilmember John Cooper defeated incumbent Mayor David Briley in a mayoral runoff election in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 12, 2019. Briley was the first mayor to lose a re-election bid since Nashville's Metro government formed in 1963. He had taken office upon the resignation of Mayor Megan Barry in March 2018 and won election in May 2018 to complete her term. Cooper emphasized fiscal stewardship in his campaign and said he'd shift focus to neighborhoods and away from incentives for downtown projects.
Memphis[edit]
- Incumbent Jim Strickland defeated former Mayor Willie Herenton, Shelby County Commissioner Tamara Sawyer, and nine other candidates on October 3, 2019, to win election to a second four-year term as mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. Strickland was first elected in 2015, defeating incumbent A.C. Wharton with 41.3 percent of the vote.
Houston[edit]
- Incumbent Sylvester Turner was re-elected in the December 14, 2019, runoff election for mayor of Houston, Texas. Turner and Tony Buzbee advanced to the runoff from a 12-candidate general election field. Policy debate in the race centered on Turner's record during his first term, especially regarding his handling of the city's budget and spending priorities. Turner was first elected mayor in 2015.
Mayoral partisanship: 2016-2019[edit]
The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of mayors of the top 100 cities at the start of each year since 2016.
See also[edit]
- Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2018)
- Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2017)
- Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2016)
Footnotes[edit]
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