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2023 Memphis mayoral election

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2023 Memphis mayoral election

← 2019 October 5, 2023
Officially nonpartisan
2027 →
Turnout23.8% Decrease[1] 2.9 pp
 
Candidate Paul Young Floyd Bonner
Party Democratic Democratic
Popular vote 24,408 19,895
Percentage 27.62% 22.51%

 
Candidate Willie Herenton Van Turner
Party Democratic Democratic
Popular vote 18,990 18,778
Percentage 21.49% 21.25%

Results by precinct
Young:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%
Bonner:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%
Herenton:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%
Turner:      20–30%      30–40%
Tie:      20–30%      40–50%      No votes

Mayor before election

Jim Strickland
Democratic

Elected mayor

Paul Young
Democratic

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

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Ordinance 5823

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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%
Precinct results
  Against
  •   70–80%
  •   60–70%
  •   50–60%
  No data

Early voting

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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

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Declared

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The following 17 candidates are on the ballot:[9][a]

Withdrawn

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Endorsements

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Floyd Bonner
Organizations
  • Memphis Police Association[29]
  • Memphis Fire Fighters Association[29]
Van Turner
Federal politicians
State legislators
County officials
Labor unions
Organizations
Paul Young
Individuals
Organizations

Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[b]
Margin
of error
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

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2022-2023 Campaign Finance Reporting[32][33]
Candidate Total Receipts Total Disbursements Cash on Hand[c] 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

Results

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2023 Memphis mayoral election results[34]
Candidate Votes %
Paul Young 24,408 27.6%
Floyd Bonner 19,895 22.5%
Willie Herenton 18,990 21.5%
Van Turner 18,778 21.3%
J.W. Gibson 2,175 2.5%
Michelle McKissack 1,437 1.6%
Joe Brown 1,028 1.2%
Karen Camper 591 0.7%
James Harvey 325 0.4%
Brandon Price 129 0.1%
Carnita Atwater 122 0.1%
Tekeva Shaw 95 0.1%
Jennings Bernard 89 0.1%
Reggie Hall 77 0.1%
Kendra Calico 57 0.1%
Derek Winn 57 0.1%
Justina Ragland 53 0.1%
Write-in 77 0.1%
Total votes 88,383 100%

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Key:
    D – Democratic Party
    I – Independent
    R – Republican Party
  2. ^ Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  3. ^ As of September 25, 2023

References

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  1. ^ "Turnout | Shelby County Election Commission, TN". www.electionsshelbytn.gov. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland considering running for third term, if city council extends term limits". localmemphis.com. May 26, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Hardiman, Samuel (May 24, 2022). "Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland will 'seriously consider' possibility of a third-term". The Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "After hours-long delay, the results are in | Here's a look at who won Shelby County's hot races". August 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "Memphis Municipal Election 10.5.2023 | Shelby County Election Commission, TN". www.electionsshelbytn.gov. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Anderson, Courtney (October 5, 2023). "Paul Young claims victory in Memphis mayoral election". WREG. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  7. ^ "State and Federal Primary and County General". Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ "Early voting total highest since 2007 Memphis elections". Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "City of Memphis Municipal Election, October 5, 2023" (PDF). Shelby County. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  10. ^ Henry, Wiley (March 9, 2023). "Memphis Meeting to Discuss a Third Political Party Draws Scant Support for Now". The Tennessee Tribune. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  11. ^ "Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor". Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  12. ^ Hardiman, Samuel (October 25, 2022). "Floyd Bonner will run for Memphis mayor". The Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022.
  13. ^ "More to Come".
  14. ^ "Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor". Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  15. ^ "TN House Minority Leader Karen Camper announces run for Memphis mayor".
  16. ^ Hardiman, Samuel (December 15, 2022). "Businessman J.W. Gibson II planning run for Memphis mayor". The Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023.
  17. ^ "Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor". Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  18. ^ Baker, Jackson (March 8, 2023). "Going the Distance". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  19. ^ Finton, Lucas (February 6, 2023). "Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton announces bid to return to office". The Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023.
  20. ^ "MSCS board member Michelle McKissack makes it official: She's running for Memphis mayor".
  21. ^ "Michelle McKissack for Memphis Mayor — ActBlue".
  22. ^ "Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor". Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  23. ^ "Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor". Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  24. ^ "Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner confirms he is running for mayor".
  25. ^ "Here's who else is running to be Memphis' next mayor". Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  26. ^ Hardiman, Samuel (September 1, 2022). "Paul Young, a longtime public servant, will run for Memphis mayor in 2023". The Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022.
  27. ^ "Paul Young for Memphis Mayor — ActBlue".
  28. ^ "Frank Colvett drops out of mayor's race, says field is too crowded". Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  29. ^ a b "The Commercial Appeal". www.commercialappeal.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  30. ^ a b c d e f "Van Turner nets endorsements in Memphis mayoral race from top officials, city employee union". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  31. ^ a b c d e "Paul Young endorsements range from Young Democrats, Planned Parenthood to NLE Choppa". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  32. ^ "Financial Disclosures | Shelby County Election Commission, TN". www.electionsshelbytn.gov. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  33. ^ "Four mayoral candidates spent $1.76M combined over summer". Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  34. ^ Gowins, Max (October 5, 2023). "Election Results: Memphis Municipal Elections". Decision Desk HQ. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
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Official campaign websites