Elections are held in Fort Wayne, Indiana to elect the city's mayor. Currently, such elections are regularly scheduled to be held every four years, in the year immediately preceding that of United States presidential elections.
| Election Name: | 1987 Fort Wayne mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Fort Wayne, Indiana.svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Year: | 1983 |
| Next Year: | 1991 |
| Election Date: | November 3, 1987 |
| Nominee1: | Paul Helmke |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 26,194% |
| Percentage1: | 52.00% |
| Nominee2: | Winfield Moses |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 24,179 |
| Percentage2: | 48.00% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Winfield Moses |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Paul Helmke |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 1987 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 3, 1987, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Republican Paul Helmke, who unseated Democratic incumbent Winfield Moses.
| Election Name: | 1991 Fort Wayne mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Fort Wayne, Indiana.svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Year: | 1987 |
| Next Year: | 1995 |
| Election Date: | November 5, 1991 |
| Nominee1: | Paul Helmke |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 21,415% |
| Percentage1: | 59.19% |
| Nominee2: | Charlie Belch |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 14,766 |
| Percentage2: | 40.81% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Paul Helmke |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Paul Helmke |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 1991 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5, 1991, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Republican incumbent Paul Helmke.
| Election Name: | 1995 Fort Wayne mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Fort Wayne, Indiana.svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Year: | 1991 |
| Next Year: | 1999 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1995 |
| Nominee1: | Paul Helmke |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 21,909 |
| Percentage1: | 64.49% |
| Nominee2: | Thomas Essex |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 11,033 |
| Percentage2: | 32.48% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Paul Helmke |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Paul Helmke |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 1995 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 7, 1995, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Republican incumbent Paul Helmke., this is the last time a Republican was elected Mayor of Fort Wayne.
Wayne Township Trustee Thomas Essex won the Democratic primary with 4,056 votes.[1]
Some Republicans speculated that Helmke, who had ties to the Clinton administration, might have been endangered in his primary. However, contrarily, he handily won his primary with 75% of the vote (7,717 votes).[1]
Libertarians nominated William Kempf.
The race was projected by Howey Political Report to be "safe Republican", with Helmke anticipated to be easily reelected.[2] [3]
| Election Name: | 1999 Fort Wayne mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Fort Wayne, Indiana.svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Year: | 1995 |
| Next Year: | 2003 |
| Election Date: | November 2, 1999 |
| Turnout: | 34% |
| Nominee1: | Graham Richard |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 21,607 |
| Percentage1: | 50.07% |
| Nominee2: | Linda Buskirk |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 21,531 |
| Percentage2: | 49.89% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Paul Helmke |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Graham Richard |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1999 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 2, 1999, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Democrat Graham Richard, who defeated Republican Linda Buskirk by a narrow margin.
Running for the Democratic nomination was Graham Richard, Agnes Hopkins, and David Roach.[4]
Running for the Republican nomination was Linda Buskirk and Allen County Sheriff Joe Squadrito.[4] While he had been seen as a frontrunner,[4] Squadrito ultimately lost the primary to Buskirk.
Independent candidates Sherri Emerson and William B. Dinkins also ran.
| Election Name: | 2003 Fort Wayne mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Fort Wayne, Indiana.svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Year: | 1999 |
| Next Year: | 2007 |
| Election Date: | November 4, 2003 |
| Nominee1: | Graham Richard |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 27,279 |
| Percentage1: | 58.00% |
| Nominee2: | Linda Buskirk |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 19,717 |
| Percentage2: | 41.92% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Graham Richard |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Graham Richard |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 2003 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 4 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, US. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Graham Richard, who again defeated Republican Linda Buskirk in what was a rematch of the 1999 election.
Primary elections were held May 8.[5]
During its primaries, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 11.9%.[5]
The election was projected as a "tossup".[6] Despite the race having been projected to be close, Richard won a sizable victory over Buskirk.
During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 30.63%.
2003 was a good year for Democrats in Indiana's mayoral elections, with the party winning control of the mayoralties of all of the state's top seven most populous cities for the first time since 1959.[7] The Democratic Party also won control of the mayoralties in twenty of the state's thirty cities with populations above 25,000.[7] Additionally, in 2003, Democrats won more than 56% of partisan mayoral races in Indiana.[8]
During the general election, Allen County, where Fort Wayne is located, saw voter turnout of 25% in its various elections.[9]
| Election Name: | 2007 Fort Wayne mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Fort Wayne, Indiana.svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Year: | 2003 |
| Next Year: | 2011 |
| Election Date: | November 6, 2007 |
| Nominee1: | Tom Henry |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 31,740 |
| Percentage1: | 60% |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 21,163 |
| Percentage2: | 40% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Graham Richard |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Tom Henry |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 2007 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 6 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Democrat Tom Henry.
Incumbent mayor Graham Richard did not seek reelection to a third term.
Primary elections were held May 8.[10]
In August, Kelty was indicted over perjury and campaign finance charges. While he denied wrongdoing, this story dominated the campaign.[11]
During the general election, Allen County, where Fort Wayne is located, saw voter turnout of 21% in its various elections.[12]
In October 2008, Kelty pleaded guilty to several of the campaign finance charges brought against him.[13]
Henry would go on to be reelected in 2011, 2015, and 2019.
| Election Name: | 2011 Fort Wayne mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Fort Wayne, Indiana.svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Year: | 2007 |
| Next Year: | 2015 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 2011 |
| Image1: | Thomas Henry 2008 (1).JPG |
| Image1 Size: | 150x150px |
| Nominee1: | Tom Henry |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 23,166 |
| Percentage1: | 49.85% |
| Image2 Size: | 150x150px |
| Nominee2: | Paula Hughes |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 21,520 |
| Percentage2: | 46.31% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Tom Henry |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Tom Henry |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 2011 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 8 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Democrat Tom Henry.
Primary elections were held May 3.[14]
During the primary elections, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 12.78%.[14]
During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 26.21%.
| Election Name: | 2015 Fort Wayne mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Fort Wayne, Indiana.svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Year: | 2011 |
| Next Year: | 2019 |
| Election Date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Nominee1: | Tom Henry |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 23,769 |
| Percentage1: | 56.81% |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 18,068 |
| Percentage2: | 43.19% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Tom Henry |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Tom Henry |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 2015 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 3 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Democrat Tom Henry to a third term.
Primary elections were held May 5.[15]
During the primary elections, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 9.82%.[15]
During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 22.49%.
| Election Name: | 2019 Fort Wayne mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Fort Wayne, Indiana.svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Year: | 2015 |
| Next Year: | 2023 |
| Election Date: | November 5, 2019 |
| Nominee1: | Tom Henry |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 32,571 |
| Percentage1: | 61.74% |
| Nominee2: | Tim Smith |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 20,643 |
| Percentage2: | 38.26% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Tom Henry |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Tom Henry |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 2019 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Incumbent mayor Tom Henry was reelected to a fourth term.
Primary elections were held May 7.[16]
Earlier in the campaign Henry was thought to be vulnerable, but the race ended up not being close. In his victory speech, Henry announced that it would be his last term as mayor, though he later decided to run for a fifth term against businessman Tim Didier for 2023. He was sworn in for his fourth term on January 1, 2020. His fourth term will expire on January 1, 2024.
| Election Name: | 2023 Fort Wayne mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Fort Wayne, Indiana.svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Year: | 2019 |
| Next Year: | 2027 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 2023 |
| Nominee1: | Tom Henry |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 23,945 |
| Percentage1: | 51.88% |
| Nominee2: | Thomas Didier |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 22,210 |
| Percentage2: | 48.12% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Tom Henry |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Tom Henry |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 2023 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Incumbent mayor Tom Henry was reelected to a fifth term.