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Jim Strickland
Jim Strickland was the Mayor of Memphis in Tennessee. He assumed office on January 1, 2016. He left office on January 1, 2024.
Strickland ran for re-election for Mayor of Memphis in Tennessee. He won in the general election on October 3, 2019.
Mayoral elections in Memphis are nonpartisan. Media outlets have reported that Strickland is affiliated with the Democratic Party.[1][2]
Strickland was previously a member of the Memphis City Council, representing District 5. He was elected to the council in 2007. The Memphis City Council appointed Strickland to serve as council vice chairman in 2013 and as council chairman in 2014.[3]
Biography
Strickland attended Christian Brothers High School and received a bachelor's degree (in 1986) and J.D. (in 1989) from the University of Memphis. His professional experience includes working in the private law practices of Kustoff & Strickland, PLLC and Glankler Brown, PLLC, clerking for Justice William H.D. Fones of the Tennessee Supreme Court and working as an adjunct law professor at the University of Memphis.[4]
Elections
2023
Jim Strickland was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.
2019
See also: Mayoral election in Memphis, Tennessee (2019)
General election
General election for Mayor of Memphis
The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Memphis on October 3, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jim Strickland (Nonpartisan) | 62.1 | 59,904 |
 | Willie Herenton (Nonpartisan) | 28.7 | 27,702 | |
 | Tamara Sawyer (Nonpartisan) | 6.9 | 6,669 | |
| Robert Hodges (Nonpartisan) | 0.5 | 471 | ||
| Sharon A. Webb (Nonpartisan) | 0.5 | 445 | ||
 | Lemichael Wilson (Nonpartisan) | 0.3 | 305 | |
 | Steven Bradley (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 232 | |
| Terrence Boyce (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 228 | ||
| David Walker (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 224 | ||
| Leo AwGoWhat (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 77 | ||
| DeAngelo Pegues (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 64 | ||
 | Pamela Moses (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Michael Banks (Nonpartisan) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 134 | ||
| Total votes: 96,455 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
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2015
The city of Memphis, Tennessee, held elections for mayor and city council on October 8, 2015. Because this race could not move to a runoff, the candidate with the most votes was declared the winner, regardless of whether he or she won a majority.[5] The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 17, 2015.[6] Incumbent A. C. Wharton faced Jim Strickland, Harold B. Collins, Leo Awgowhat, Anderson Fullilove, Jr., Robert Hodges, David Phillip Walker, Jr., Sharon A. Webb, M. Latroy Williams and Mike Williams in the general election on October 8, 2015.[7] Strickland won the mayoral election.
| Memphis Mayor General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
 Jim Strickland |
41.3% | 42,020 | |
| A. C. Wharton Incumbent | 22.1% | 22,490 | |
| Harold B. Collins | 18.5% | 18,767 | |
| Mike Williams | 16.1% | 16,388 | |
| Sharon A. Webb | 0.6% | 610 | |
| M. Latroy Williams | 0.4% | 413 | |
| Anderson Fullilove, Jr. | 0.4% | 369 | |
| Robert Hodges | 0.2% | 240 | |
| David Phillip Walker, Jr. | 0.2% | 171 | |
| Leo Awgowhat | 0.1% | 119 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.1% | 92 | |
| Total Votes | 100,275 | ||
| Source: Shelby County Election Commission, "Memphis Election 2015 October," accessed October 8, 2015 | |||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jim Strickland did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
2015
Strickland's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[8]
Population loss
- Excerpt: "Recently, the census showed that more than 50,000 people moved out of Memphis in a decade. Because annexation covered up the losses, we have not begun to feel the full effect of this exodus. State annexation laws have now changed, and as a result, future population losses, if they occur at the same rate, will devastate our city."
Crime
- Excerpt: "As Mayor, I will have zero tolerance for violent crime. A strong and consistent message must be communicated through words and actions that those committing violent acts will be punished."
| “ | We will reduce crime 3 ways:
1. Aggressive and smart policing, and a 100% commitment to Blue Crush. 2. Work with state government to stiffen the penalties for violent crimes and to hold parents more accountable for their children’s violent acts. 3. As Mayor, I will lead our community (governments, businesses, non-profits and community activists) to come together and intervene in the lives of our children so that they choose the right path, not the wrong one."[8][9] |
” |
Education
- Excerpt: "I will continue my commitment to universal Pre-K. When only 28% of 3rd graders in public schools read at 3rd grade level, we must all take action. We are failing our children."
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Noteworthy events
|
|---|
| Coronavirus pandemic |
| Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.
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On September 10, 2021, Strickland announced he tested positive for COVID-19. He said he was fully vaccinated at the time he contracted the virus.[10]
Events and activity following the death of George Floyd
Strickland was mayor of Memphis during the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, when events and activity took place in cities across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. Events in Memphis, Tennessee, began on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at the Memphis Police Department's Union Avenue precinct station.[11] Gov. Bill Lee (R) activated the Tennessee National Guard statewide on May 31, but none were deployed to the city by the end of the weekend.[12] No curfews were issued over the weekend. Mayor Jim Strickland (D) issued a curfew on June 1 and extended it through June 6.[13][14]
| To read more about the death of George Floyd and subsequent events, click [show] to the right. | |||
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See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Memphis Daily News, "Strickland In Mayor's Race, Wharton Responds," January 15, 2015
- ↑ Tennessean, "Mayors remain source of strength for Tennessee Democrats," July 22, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBio - ↑ Vote Jim Strickland, "Biography," accessed August 7, 2015
- ↑ Memphis Flyer, "Majority Rules," March 15, 2007
- ↑ Shelby County Election Commission, "Election Calendar 2015," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ Shelby County Election Commission, "Official candidate list," accessed July 27, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Vote Jim Strickland, "Announcement," accessed August 7, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Associated Press, "Memphis mayor tests positive for COVID-19," September 11, 2021
- ↑ Commercial Appeal, "'Stop killing black people': Demonstration closes Union Avenue as protesters face off with counter-protesters, MPD," May 29, 2020
- ↑ ABC Local 24, "Gov. Lee Mobilizes National Guard Across the State, Calls for Further Investigation into Nashville Unrest," May 31, 2020
- ↑ WREG, "Mayor Strickland extends curfew into the weekend," June 6, 2020
- ↑ Commercial Appeal, "Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland orders citywide curfew starting 10 p.m. Monday," June 1, 2020
- ↑ Washington Post, "The death of George Floyd: What video and other records show about his final minutes," May 30, 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody," May 31, 2020
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 USA Today, "Medical examiner and family-commissioned autopsy agree: George Floyd's death was a homicide," June 1, 2020
- ↑ Associated Press, "Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death," April 20, 2021
- ↑ CNN, "Protests across America after George Floyd's death," accessed June 2, 2020
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedchi1
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Mayor of Memphis 2016-2024 |
Succeeded by Paul Young |
| Preceded by - |
Memphis City Council District 5 2008-2016 |
Succeeded by - |
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