2023 Memphis mayoral election explained
| Election Name: | 2023 Memphis mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Memphis, Tennessee.svg |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Type: | mayoral |
| Previous Election: | 2019 Memphis mayoral election |
| Previous Year: | 2019 |
| Election Date: | October 5, 2023
|
| Next Election: | 2027 Memphis mayoral election |
| Next Year: | 2027 |
| Image1: | File:Paul Young 2023 (cropped).jpg |
| Candidate1: | Paul Young |
| Popular Vote1: | 24,408 |
| Percentage1: | 27.62% |
| Candidate2: | Floyd Bonner |
| Popular Vote2: | 19,895 |
| Percentage2: | 22.51% |
| Image4: | Rudy Giuliani and Willie Herenton (47479766912) (closest crop.jpg |
| Candidate4: | Willie Herenton |
| Popular Vote4: | 18,990 |
| Percentage4: | 21.49% |
| Image5: | 3x4.svg |
| Candidate5: | Van Turner |
| Popular Vote5: | 18,778 |
| Percentage5: | 21.25% |
| Mayor |
| Before Election: | Jim Strickland |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Paul Young |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Color1: | 73bc84 |
| Color2: | dc8c53 |
| Color4: | 8da9e2 |
| Color5: | c88fe4 |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Party4: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Party5: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 23.8% [1] 2.9 pp |
The 2023 Memphis mayoral election took place on October 5, 2023, to elect the next mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. Incumbent Jim Strickland was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term in office.[2] [3] [4] The election used the plurality vote system, with no possibility of a runoff. The election was officially non-partisan, but several candidates were affiliated with political parties.[5]
Municipal government official Paul Young won the election, with all other major candidates conceding on the night of the election. Young prevailed with a low plurality of the vote against numerous other candidates, including Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, former mayor Willie Herenton, and former Shelby County commission chair Van Turner.[6]
Background
Ordinance 5823
Memphis law states that mayors can only serve two terms. However, the Memphis City Council voted to put an ordinance on the ballot that, if passed, would extend the limit to three terms. Incumbent mayor Jim Strickland expressed interest in running for a third term if Memphis voters approved the ordinance.[2] [3] The ordinance was decided on August 4, 2022, the same day as Tennessee's regularly-scheduled primary elections. Voters overwhelmingly rejected it, keeping the two-term limit in place and barring Strickland from seeking re-election.[4]
| Memphis Ordinance 5823[7] |
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|
| Against | 52,582 | 66.27% |
| For | 26,759 | 33.73% |
| Total votes | 79,341 | 100.00% | |
Early voting
Early voting ran from September 16, 2023 to September 30, 2023. Turnout was the highest since 2007, with 57,951 votes being submitted. This compares to 52,718 early votes in 2019 and 51,840 in 2015.[8]
Candidates
Declared
The following 17 candidates are on the ballot:[9]
- Carnita Atwater, community organizer and Democratic candidate for Governor of Tennessee in 2022 (I)[9] [10]
- Jennings Bernard, private probation company owner (I)[11]
- Floyd Bonner, Shelby County Sheriff (D)[12]
- Joe Brown, former host of Judge Joe Brown and former Shelby County Criminal Court judge (I)[13]
- Kendra Calico, hunger relief charity president (I)[9] [14]
- Karen Camper, Minority Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives (D)[15]
- J.W. Gibson, former Shelby County commissioner[16]
- Reggie Hall, life coach[17]
- James Harvey, former Democratic chair of the Shelby County Commission (R)[18]
- Willie Herenton, former mayor (D)[19]
- Michelle McKissack, chair of the Shelby County Board of Education (D)[20] [21]
- Brandy (Brandon) Price, activist (D)[9] [22]
- Justina Ragland[9]
- Tekeva Shaw, life coach[9] [23]
- Van Turner, former chair of the Shelby County Commission (D)[24]
- Derek Winn, bakery assistant (I)[9] [25]
- Paul Young, president and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission and former director of the Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development[26] (D)[27]
Withdrawn
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s)
administered | Sample
size | Margin
| Floyd
Bonner | Joe
Brown | Karen
Camper | Frank
Colvett | J.W.
Gibson | Willie
Herenton | Michelle
McKissack | Van
Turner | Paul
Young | Undecided |
|---|
| Hart Research | Sept. 5-7 2023 | - | ± 5% | 19% | 4% | 1% | - | 5% | 13% | 3% | 9% | | 20% | | 23% |
| Emerson College | August 11-13 2023 | 600 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 10% | 10% | ≤1% | - | 5% | | 16% | 3% | 7% | 14% | | 26% |
| HIT Strategies | May 2023 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 9% | 4% | 1% | 4% | 1% | | 13% | 2% | 9% | 8% | | 48% |
| Caissa Public Strategy | May 2023 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 15% | 9% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 15% | 6% | | 17% | 8% | | 21% |
| Caissa Public Strategy | February 2023 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 4.7% | 15% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 2% | 14% | 4% | | 16% | 12% | 13% | |
Campaign finance
2022-2023 Campaign Finance Reporting[29] [30] | Candidate | Total Receipts | Total Disbursements | Cash on Hand | Loans Outstanding |
|---|
| Floyd Bonner | $757,346 | $600,102 | $157,244 | $34,951 |
| Karen Camper | $125,567 | $109,716 | $15,851 | $4,500 |
| Frank Colvett | $157,450 | $125,924 | $31,526 | $0 |
| J.W. Gibson | $401,473 | $398,380 | $3,093 | $300,000 |
| Willie Herenton | $105,293 | $54,652 | $50,641 | $0 |
| Michelle McKissack | $155,957 | $133,434 | $22,523 | $25,000 |
| Van Turner | $564,435 | $450,790 | $133,645 | $0 |
| Paul Young | $1,059,250 | $855,283 | $203,967 | $0 | |
See also
External links
- Official campaign websites
Notes and References
- Web site: Turnout Shelby County Election Commission, TN . 2024-01-17 . www.electionsshelbytn.gov.
- Web site: May 26, 2022 . Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland considering running for third term, if city council extends term limits . July 4, 2022 . localmemphis.com . en-US.
- News: Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland will 'seriously consider' possibility of a third-term . July 4, 2022 . . Hardiman . Samuel . May 24, 2022 . live . limited . https://web.archive.org/web/20220526022356/https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2022/05/24/memphis-mayor-jim-strickland-considers-third-term/9919129002/ . May 26, 2022.
- Web site: After hours-long delay, the results are in | Here's a look at who won Shelby County's hot races . August 5, 2022 .
- Web site: Memphis Municipal Election 10.5.2023 Shelby County Election Commission, TN . 2023-08-14 . www.electionsshelbytn.gov.
- News: . October 5, 2023 . October 5, 2023 . Paul Young claims victory in Memphis mayoral election. Anderson . Courtney .
- Web site: State and Federal Primary and County General . December 17, 2022 . August 20, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220820194018/https://results.electionsshelbytn.gov/ . bot: unknown .
- Web site: Early voting total highest since 2007 Memphis elections . 2023-10-02 . Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News Daily Memphian . en.
- Web site: City of Memphis Municipal Election, October 5, 2023 . . 1 August 2023.
- Web site: Henry . Wiley . 2023-03-09 . Memphis Meeting to Discuss a Third Political Party Draws Scant Support for Now . 2023-08-14 . The Tennessee Tribune . en-US.
- Web site: Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor . 2023-09-05 . Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News Daily Memphian . en.
- News: Floyd Bonner will run for Memphis mayor . October 25, 2022 . Hardiman . Samuel . . https://web.archive.org/web/20221205184258/https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/2022/10/25/shelby-county-sheriff-floyd-bonner-to-run-for-memphis-mayor/69588109007/ . December 5, 2022 . live . limited.
- Web site: More to Come .
- Web site: Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor . 2023-09-05 . Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News Daily Memphian . en.
- Web site: TN House Minority Leader Karen Camper announces run for Memphis mayor.
- News: Businessman J.W. Gibson II planning run for Memphis mayor . Hardiman. Samuel. The Commercial Appeal. December 15, 2022 . live. limited. https://web.archive.org/web/20230314122220/https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2022/12/15/businessman-j-w-gibson-planning-run-for-memphis-mayor/69732246007/. March 14, 2023.
- Web site: Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor . 2023-09-05 . Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News Daily Memphian . en.
- News: 1 August 2023 . Memphis Flyer . Jackson . Going the Distance . Baker . 8 March 2023.
- News: Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton announces bid to return to office . Finton . Lucas . February 6, 2023 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230314123823/https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2023/02/06/former-memphis-mayor-willie-herenton-announces-new-bid-for-mayor/69878726007/ . March 14, 2023 . live . limited.
- News: MSCS board member Michelle McKissack makes it official: She’s running for Memphis mayor.
- Web site: Michelle McKissack for Memphis Mayor — ActBlue.
- Web site: Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor . 2023-09-05 . Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News Daily Memphian . en.
- Web site: Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor . 2023-09-05 . Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News Daily Memphian . en.
- Web site: Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner confirms he is running for mayor .
- Web site: Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor . 2023-09-05 . Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News Daily Memphian . en.
- News: Paul Young, a longtime public servant, will run for Memphis mayor in 2023 . Hardiman . Samuel . September 1, 2022 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20220926000304/https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2022/09/01/paul-young-memphis-mayor-race-2022-mayoral-election/7932467001/ . September 26, 2022 . live . limited.
- Web site: Paul Young for Memphis Mayor — ActBlue.
- Web site: Frank Colvett drops out of mayor's race, says field is too crowded . 2023-07-27 . Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News Daily Memphian . en.
- Web site: Financial Disclosures Shelby County Election Commission, TN . 2023-07-27 . www.electionsshelbytn.gov.
- Web site: Four mayoral candidates spent $1.76M combined over summer . 2023-10-02 . Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News Daily Memphian . en.
