Joe Hogsett

Joe Hogsett

Democratic Party

Mayor of Indianapolis

Tenure

2016 - Present

Term ends

2028

Years in position

9

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 7, 2023

Education

Bachelor's

Indiana University

Graduate

Butler University

Law

Indiana University

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Official website

Official Twitter

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Joe Hogsett (Democratic Party) is the Mayor of Indianapolis. He assumed office on January 1, 2016. His current term ends on January 1, 2028.

Hogsett was born in Rushville, Indiana in 1956. He earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree from Indiana University, as well as graduate degrees from Butler University and the Christian Theological Seminary.

Hogsett served as Indiana's secretary of state from 1989 to 1994. Before serving as secretary of state, Hogsett was a campaign manager for former Governor Evan Bayh's (D) gubernatorial campaign from 1987 to 1988 and deputy secretary of state from 1988 to 1989. He later served as Bayh's chief of staff from 1995 to 1997.

In 2000, Hogsett became a partner at the law firm Bingham McHale. He also served as chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party from 2003 to 2004. In 2010, President Barack Obama (D) nominated Hogsett to be U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. Hogsett served as U.S. attorney from 2010 to 2014.

Hogsett was first elected mayor in 2015 when he defeated Charles Brewer (R) 62.0%-37.8%. The two-term incumbent mayor Greg Ballard (R) did not run for re-election. Hogsett was re-elected in 2019 and 2023. The 2023 election was the most expensive election in city history with Hogsett raising more than $6 million and Republican candidate Jefferson Shreve raising more than $14 million. Hogsett defeated Shreve 59.4% to 40.6% in the 2023 general election.

According to the Encylopedia of Indianapolis, Hogsett focused on establishing community-based law enforcement in Indianapolis during his first two terms, forming an Office of Public Health and Safety and an Assessment and Intervention Center. Another one of Hogsett's priorities during this time was increasing post-secondary school opportunities.

Hogsett's budget and policies received bipartisan support during his first two terms. In 2023, Hogsett's budget received unanimous City-County Council approval, including from five Republican members, who supported his plan to spend $323 million on police.

In October 2024, the Council passed Hogsett's 2025 budget 16-9. All six Council Republicans and three Democrats voted against it. Hogsett's 2025 budget included "raises for many city employees, new investments in pedestrian safety and the creation of a new Animal Care Services agency." Axios Indianapolis' Arika Herron wrote that the budget received criticism from both parties, with Republicans criticizing Hogsett on infrastructure issues and Democrats criticizing him on underfunding the arts and urban forests. In a written statement, Hogsett said, "Despite ongoing labor negotiations and a year of tight revenue growth for the city and county, this 2025 budget shows our support for our employees and the important work they do each and every day to serve residents, as well as continues to fund successful city programs that we know are making Indianapolis a better, safer place for all."

Biography

Hogsett is from Rushville, Indiana. He received a bachelor's degree in history and political science from Indiana University in 1978, a J.D. from Indiana University in 1981, a master's degree in English from Butler University in 1987, a master's degree in theological studies from the Christian Theological Seminary in 1999 and a master's degree in history from Indiana University in 2007. He was a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana from 2010 to 2014. His professional experience also includes working as an attorney in private practice, including the Bose McKinney & Evans Litigation Group, and serving as secretary of state from 1988 to 1994.

Elections

2023

See also: Mayoral election in Indianapolis, Indiana (2023)

General election

General election for Mayor of Indianapolis

Incumbent Joe Hogsett defeated Jefferson Shreve in the general election for Mayor of Indianapolis on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Hogsett (D)	59.4	97,807
		Jefferson Shreve (R)	40.6	66,781

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 164,588
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Mayor of Indianapolis

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Indianapolis on May 2, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Hogsett	58.4	28,320
		Robin Shackleford	37.9	18,359
		Bob Kern	1.4	694
	Submit photo	Gregory Meriweather (Unofficially withdrew)	1.0	471
		Clif Marsiglio	0.8	366
	Submit photo	Larry Vaughn	0.6	294

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 48,504
= 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.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Mayor of Indianapolis

Jefferson Shreve defeated Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, James W. Jackson, and John L. Couch in the Republican primary for Mayor of Indianapolis on May 2, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jefferson Shreve	65.9	19,170
		Abdul-Hakim Shabazz	26.3	7,639
		James W. Jackson	4.3	1,251
		John L. Couch	3.6	1,036

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,096
= 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.
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Endorsements

Hogsett received the following endorsements.

• Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce

2019

See also: Mayoral election in Indianapolis, Indiana (2019)

General election

General election for Mayor of Indianapolis

Incumbent Joe Hogsett defeated James Merritt and Douglas McNaughton in the general election for Mayor of Indianapolis on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Hogsett (D)	71.6	109,087
		James Merritt (R)	26.9	40,906
		Douglas McNaughton (L)	1.5	2,354
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	3

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 152,350
= 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.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Javontae Bibbs (Independent)
• John Schmitz (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Mayor of Indianapolis

Incumbent Joe Hogsett defeated Denise Paul Hatch in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Indianapolis on May 7, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Hogsett	83.9	29,111
		Denise Paul Hatch	16.1	5,571

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 34,682
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Mayor of Indianapolis

James Merritt defeated Christopher Moore and Felipe Rios in the Republican primary for Mayor of Indianapolis on May 7, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Merritt	82.8	14,910
		Christopher Moore	14.6	2,622
		Felipe Rios	2.7	486

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,018
= 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.

2015

See also: Indianapolis, Indiana municipal elections, 2015

The city of Indianapolis, Indiana, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. A partisan primary election took place on May 5, 2015. The filing deadline for major party candidates who wished to run in this election was February 6, 2015. The filing deadline for independent or minor party candidates was July 15, 2015.

In the Republican primary election for mayor, Charles Brewer defeated Jocelyn-Tandy Adande, Terry Michael, Darrell Eugene Morris and Lawrence Byron Shouse. In the Democratic primary, Joseph Hogsett defeated Larry Vaughn. Hogsett defeated Brewer and Samuel M. Carson (Write-in) in the general election. Incumbent Greg Ballard (R) did not run for re-election.

Mayor of Indianapolis, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Joseph Hogsett	62.0%	92,830
	Republican	Charles Brewer	37.8%	56,661
		Write-in votes	0.15%	221
Total Votes				149,712
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Mayor of Indianapolis Republican Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Charles Brewer	76.3%	14,160
Jocelyn-Tandy Adande	9.6%	1,783
Terry Michael	7.4%	1,371
Lawrence Byron Shouse	3.4%	638
Darrell Eugene Morris	3.3%	615
Total Votes		18,567
Source: City of Indianapolis, "Official primary election results," accessed May 29, 2015

Mayor of Indianapolis Democratic Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Joseph Hogsett	88.7%	25,137
Larry Vaughn	11.3%	3,210
Total Votes		28,347
Source: City of Indianapolis, "Official primary election results," accessed May 29, 2015

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Joe Hogsett did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Joe Hogsett did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

2015

Hogsett's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

Public safety

• Excerpt: "Joe will start a summer jobs program for atrisk youth as a way to give hundreds of local young people job experience, useful skills, and safe and productive alternatives to crime and gangs. And Joe’s summer jobs plan will come at no cost to taxpayers because it will be funded through grants and corporate donations."
• Excerpt: "Joe Hogsett believes we need more police on the street to combat Indianapolis’s crime epidemic. As mayor, Joe will seek to hire additional police officers and return IMPD to beat policing, so that every officer knows their neighborhood, and every neighborhood knows their officer.
• Excerpt: "As Mayor, Joe Hogsett will continue to fight for tougher penalties for gun crimes and illegal gun sales."

Education

• Excerpt: "Joe will work to expand access to high-quality pre-K programs that put students on a path to academic success and push for more science, technology, and math courses that teach students the skills they need to succeed in today’s economy."

Jobs

• Excerpt: "Joe Hogsett believes that we can grow our city’s economy without leaving everyday neighborhoods behind. Joe will hold companies that receive tax incentives accountable for creating jobs and hiring city residents, and he will cut red tape and waive fees to help neighborhood small businesses get off the ground."

Ethics and budgets

• Excerpt: "As Mayor, Hogsett will streamline services, cut waste, and make City Hall more responsible with our tax dollars. Joe Hogsett is an independent leader who has always put public service before politics."

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable candidate endorsements by Joe Hogsett

Endorsee	Election	Stage	Outcome
Pete Buttigieg  source	President of the United States (2020)	Primary	Withdrew in Convention

Personal

Hogsett is married and has three children.

Noteworthy events

Events and activity following the death of George Floyd

See also: Events following the death of George Floyd and responses in select cities from May 29-31, 2020

Hogsett was mayor of Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis, Indiana, began on Friday, May 29, 2020. On May 31, Mayor Joseph Hogsett (D) instituted a curfew. The same day, Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) deployed the Indiana National Guard to state properties in the city.

To read more about the death of George Floyd and subsequent events, click [show] to the right.

On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officers arrested Floyd, a Black man, after receiving a call that he had made a purchase with a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd died after Derek Chauvin, a White officer, arrived at the scene and pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck as Floyd laid face-down on the street in handcuffs. Both the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and an independent autopsy conducted by Floyd's family ruled Floyd's death as a homicide stemming from the incident. The medical examiner's report, prepared by Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, said that it was "not a legal determination of culpability or intent, and should not be used to usurp the judicial process." On April 20, 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in relation to Floyd's death. Floyd's death was filmed and shared widely, leading to activity regarding racism, civil rights, and police use of force. The first events took place in Minneapolis-St. Paul on May 26. An event in Chicago organized by Chance the Rapper and Rev. Michael Pfleger took place the same day, making it the first major city outside of Minneapolis to host an event in response to Floyd's death.

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Preceded by -	Mayor of Indianapolis 2016-Present	Succeeded by -