James Tate
James Tate is a member of the Detroit City Council in Michigan, representing District 1. He assumed office in 2010.
Tate ran for re-election to the Detroit City Council to represent District 1 in Michigan. He won in the general election on November 4, 2025.
Biography
Tate attended Benedictine High School and Wayne State University. His professional experience includes working as a second deputy chief for the Detroit Police Department and as an assignment editor at WXYZ-TV (Channel 7). He is married to Dr. Nutrena Watts Tate.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: City elections in Detroit, Michigan (2025)
General election
General election for Detroit City Council District 1
Incumbent James Tate defeated James Chandler and Tashawna Rushin in the general election for Detroit City Council District 1 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | James Tate (Nonpartisan) | 98.2 | 16,281 |
 | James Chandler (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)  | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Tashawna Rushin (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.8 | 299 | ||
| Total votes: 16,580 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent James Tate advanced from the primary for Detroit City Council District 1.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Tate in this election.
2021
See also: City elections in Detroit, Michigan (2021)
General election
General election for Detroit City Council District 1
Incumbent James Tate defeated Krystal Larsosa in the general election for Detroit City Council District 1 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Tate (Nonpartisan) | 74.4 | 12,028 |
 | Krystal Larsosa (Nonpartisan) | 25.3 | 4,089 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 46 | ||
| Total votes: 16,163 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Detroit City Council District 1
Incumbent James Tate and Krystal Larsosa defeated Darryl Brown and Quincy Coleman in the primary for Detroit City Council District 1 on August 3, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Tate (Nonpartisan) | 72.1 | 8,926 |
| ✔ | | Krystal Larsosa (Nonpartisan) | 12.2 | 1,513 |
 | Darryl Brown (Nonpartisan) | 10.7 | 1,328 | |
| Quincy Coleman (Nonpartisan) | 4.8 | 592 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 24 | ||
| Total votes: 12,383 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
The city of Detroit, Michigan, held elections for mayor, city council, city clerk, and the Detroit Board of Police Commisisoners on November 7, 2017. A primary election was held on August 8, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 25, 2017.[2]
Incumbent James Tate defeated Tamara Smith in the general election for District 1 on the Detroit City Council.
| Detroit City Council, District 1 General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 James Tate Incumbent |
71.14% | 12,607 |
| Tamara Smith | 28.56% | 5,062 |
| Write-in votes | 0.3% | 53 |
| Total Votes | 17,722 | |
| Source: Wayne County, Michigan, "2017 November 7th General & Special General Election Official Results," November 7, 2017 | ||
Incumbent James Tate and Tamara Smith defeated De'Andre Nelson in the primary election for District 1 on the Detroit City Council.[3]
| Detroit City Council, District 1 Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| James Tate Incumbent |
70.27% | 7,843 |
| Tamara Smith |
16.96% | 1,893 |
| De'Andre Nelson | 11.87% | 1,325 |
| Write-in votes | 0.9% | 100 |
| Total Votes | 11,161 | |
| Source: Wayne County Clerk, "2017 Primary Official Results," accessed August 23, 2017 | ||
2013
Tate won election to the Detroit City Council.[4]
General election
| City Council of Detroit, Michigan - District 1, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | James Tate Incumbent |
68.2% | 15,615 | |
| Nonpartisan | Wanda Jan Hill | 31.4% | 7,191 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.4% | 81 | |
| Total Votes | 22,887 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Department of Elections | ||||
Primary election
| Detroit, Michigan City Council Primary, District 1, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | James Tate |
59.9% | 9,349 | |
| Nonpartisan | Wanda Jan Hill |
12.8% | 2,001 | |
| Nonpartisan | Darryl Brown | 10.4% | 1,617 | |
| Nonpartisan | Laura Goodspeed | 5.6% | 868 | |
| Nonpartisan | James Kyle Beeler | 5.4% | 849 | |
| Nonpartisan | Osei Bomnai | 4.4% | 690 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ulice Sherman | 1.2% | 187 | |
| Nonpartisan | Other candidates | 0.3% | 46 | |
| Total Votes | 15,607 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Elections Center | ||||
2009
General election
The 2009 election was the last election in which all city council members were elected at large. The names of the 18 highest vote recipients from the August 2009 primary were listed on the ballot, and voters were instructed to vote for no more than nine candidates.
A measure on the 2009 general election ballot proposed a change from a nine-member at-large city council to a council with seven members elected by district and two members elected at large. The measure was approved with support of 73.35% of voters[5][6]
| Detroit, Michigan City Council Primary, At-Large, 2009 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Charles Pugh |
9.4% | 88,797 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gary Brown |
8.6% | 80,809 | |
| Nonpartisan | Saunteel Jenkins |
7.9% | 75,016 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ken Cockrel, Jr. |
7.9% | 74,781 | |
| Nonpartisan | Brenda Jones |
6.5% | 61,367 | |
| Nonpartisan | Andre L. Spivey |
6.4% | 60,450 | |
| Nonpartisan | James Tate |
6.2% | 58,215 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kwame Kenyatta |
6.1% | 57,541 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jo Ann Watson |
5.8% | 54,653 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lisa Howze | 5.1% | 48,483 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alberta Tinsley Talabi | 5% | 47,003 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jai-Lee Dearing | 4.9% | 45,785 | |
| Nonpartisan | John K. Bennett | 3.8% | 35,613 | |
| Nonpartisan | Shelly I. Foy | 3.7% | 35,148 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mohamed Okdie | 3.5% | 32,933 | |
| Nonpartisan | Fred Elliott Hall | 3.5% | 32,875 | |
| Nonpartisan | Raphael B. Johnson | 3.4% | 31,665 | |
| Nonpartisan | David J. Cross | 2.3% | 21,534 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.1% | 999 | |
| Total Votes | 943,667 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Elections Center | ||||
Primary election
The names of the 18 highest vote recipients from the August 2009 primary were listed on the November 2009 general election ballot, and voters were instructed to vote for no more than nine candidates. Tate finished eleventh, making the cutoff for the general election ballot.
| Detroit, Michigan City Council Primary, At-Large, 2009 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Charles Pugh |
8.7% | 59,681 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ken Cockrel Jr. |
7.3% | 49,743 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gary Brown |
6.1% | 41,351 | |
| Nonpartisan | Brenda Jones |
4.4% | 30,041 | |
| Nonpartisan | Saunteel Jenkins |
4.4% | 29,879 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kwame Kenyatta |
4.2% | 28,674 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jo Ann Watson |
3.7% | 24,934 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jai-Lee Dearing |
3.4% | 22,935 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alberta Tinsley Talabi |
2.9% | 20,124 | |
| Nonpartisan | Andre L. Spivey |
2.9% | 20,105 | |
| Nonpartisan | James Tate |
2.9% | 19,513 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lisa Howze |
1.8% | 12,511 | |
| Nonpartisan | Shelly I. Foy |
1.7% | 11,736 | |
| Nonpartisan | Fred Elliott Hall |
1.6% | 11,088 | |
| Nonpartisan | Raphael B. Johnson |
1.6% | 10,904 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mohamed Okdie |
1.4% | 9,389 | |
| Nonpartisan | David J. Cross |
1.3% | 9,140 | |
| Nonpartisan | John K. Bennett |
1.2% | 8,177 | |
| Nonpartisan | Roy McCalister Jr. | 1% | 6,876 | |
| Nonpartisan | Delicia Taylor Coleman | 1% | 6,792 | |
| Nonpartisan | Clinton Griffin Jr. | 0.9% | 6,334 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sheila Jackson | 0.9% | 6,281 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dalton Roberson Jr. | 0.9% | 6,159 | |
| Nonpartisan | All other candidates | 33.8% | 230,751 | |
| Total Votes | 683,118 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Elections Center | ||||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
James Tate did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
James Tate did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Detroit, "Tate," accessed December 22, 2014
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announces re-election bid," February 4, 2017
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "It's official: 8 Detroit mayoral candidates will be on primary ballot," May 11, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwon - ↑ Citizens Research Council of Michigan, "Detroit Ballot Issues - Proposal D: Election of Detroit City Council Members," accessed October 15, 2013
- ↑ City of Detroit Elections Center, "2009 November 3, General Election Results," accessed October 15, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Detroit City Council District 1 2010-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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