2007 Indianapolis mayoral election explained

Election Name:2007 Indianapolis mayoral election
Country:Indianapolis
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2003 Indianapolis mayoral election
Previous Year:2003
Next Election:2011 Indianapolis mayoral election
Next Year:2011
Election Date:November 6, 2007
Nominee1:Greg Ballard
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:83,238
Percentage1:50.4%
Nominee2:Bart Peterson
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:77,926
Percentage2:47.2%
Map Size:200px
Mayor
Before Election:Bart Peterson
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Greg Ballard
After Party:Republican Party (United States)
Turnout:26.2%

The Indianapolis mayoral election of 2007 took place on November 6, 2007. Voters elected the Mayor of Indianapolis, members of the Indianapolis City-County Council, as well as several other local officials. Incumbent Democrat Bart Peterson was seeking a third term. Republicans nominated former Marine Greg Ballard to run against Peterson. In what was called "the biggest upset in Indiana political history", Ballard defeated Peterson 51% to 47%.[1]

The Indianapolis City-County elections took place alongside the mayoral election.[2]

Candidates

Campaign

Peterson was vastly considered a lock to win the election by political experts.[3] The incumbent Peterson had nearly 30 times as much campaign money as the challenger. Peterson, who started with considerable fundraising advantages, raised nearly $1.5 million since April and had $1.5 million left in late October.[4] In contrast, Ballard raised nearly $225,000 since April and had just over $51,000 left in his campaign fund in late October. Peterson spent nearly $1.5 million on TV and radio ads and $113,000 on polling and research. Two weeks before election day, Ballard had still not put up any TV ads.

Issues

The two major issues in the mayoral campaign were crime and taxes.[5] Residents felt property taxes were most important due to the spike in the tax. Rising crime was another major issue in the election.[6]

Notes and References

  1. News: Ballard grabs upset win in mayoral race . The Indianapolis Star . 2007-11-07 . 2008-06-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080223124533/http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20071107%2FLOCAL190501%2F311070006 . 2008-02-23 . dead .
  2. Web site: 2007 General Election Results . https://web.archive.org/web/20080511195730/http://imcwwa2k3.indygov.org/elecnight/2007gen/ . 2008-05-11 . Marion County Clerk's Office . 2007-11-07 . 2008-11-01.
  3. Web site: Ballard's 'Biggest Upset' Ends Peterson Era . WRTV . 2007-11-07 . 2008-06-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080617235858/http://www.theindychannel.com/politics/14528118/detail.html . 2008-06-17 . dead .
  4. Web site: Peterson's fundraising far outweighs competition . WTHR . 2007-10-19 . 2008-06-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071117044211/http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=7239340 . 2007-11-17 . dead .
  5. Web site: Candidates for mayor discuss election issues . WTHR . 2007-11-05 . 2008-06-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629130333/http://www.wthr.com/global/Story.asp?s=7245317 . 2011-06-29 . dead .
  6. Web site: Indianapolis Mayor Begins Ad Campaign . WISH-TV . 2007-05-02 . 2008-06-22 .