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Mayoral election in Nashville, Tennessee (2023) (August 3, 2023 general election)

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← 2019
2023 Nashville elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: May 18, 2023
General election: August 3, 2023
Runoff election: September 14, 2023
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor
Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2023


Freddie O'Connell and Alice Rolli advanced from a field of 12 candidates in the nonpartisan general election for mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, on August 3, 2023. O'Connell finished first with 27% of the vote, and Rolli was second with 20%. The two competed in a September 14, 2023, runoff election. Click here for coverage of the runoff election.

Although the election is officially nonpartisan, both candidates have political affiliations. O'Connell, who has represented District 19 on the Nashville Metro Council since 2015, is a Democrat. Rolli, a former political strategist and owner of Worldstrides, is a Republican.[1]

The Tennessean's Cassandra Stephenson wrote that a "runoff race was expected due to the broad slate of candidates with largely similar viewpoints."[2]

Incumbent Mayor John Cooper (D) did not seek re-election, making him the first full-term Nashville mayor to not seek re-election since 1991.[3]

Axios Nashville's Nate Rau wrote that "O'Connell overcame substantial campaign disadvantages to storm into first place in a crowded general election field...he sold voters on a progressive vision for the city and highlighted his vote against the $2.1 billion Titans stadium deal as proof of his commitment to controlling development growth."[4]

Rau also wrote, "Republican strategist and businessperson Rolli won over conservative voters to earn a spot in the runoff. Rolli campaigned on addressing crime, keeping taxes low and pressing Metro Nashville Public Schools for improvement. She sold voters on her conservative bona fides by touting her resume."[4]

O'Connell, Rolli, Heidi Campbell, Jim Gingrich, Sharon W. Hurt, Vivian Wilhoite, Matthew Wiltshire, and Jeff Yarbro led the field in media coverage and campaign finance.[5][6][7]

Though the race was officially nonpartisan, Campbell, Gingrich, Hurt, O’Connell, Wilhoite, Wiltshire, and Yarbro were affiliated with the Democratic Party, while Rolli identified as a Republican.[8]

The Nashville Scene had described the race in June by saying, “In a matter of weeks, Nashville will elect its fourth mayor in five years. Following the 2018 resignation of Mayor Megan Barry in the wake of political scandal, the mayor’s office has been besieged with instability.”[5] After Barry's resignation, Vice Mayor David Briley assumed office, and won a special election to retain the seat in August 2018. In the 2019 regular mayoral election, Cooper defeated Briley.[9]

The Nashville Scene and the Nashville Banner published a series of questionnaires asking the candidates listed above about “four key issues that will face the city’s next mayor: homelessness, education, transit and crime.” Click the links below to view the candidates’ responses:

Natisha Brooks, Fran Bush, Bernie Cox, and Stephanie Johnson were also on the ballot.

Nashville has a strong mayor government, where the mayor serves as chief executive and the city council operates as a legislative branch. The responsibilities of the mayor include proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors, and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations.

As of June 2023, Democrats held 63 of the mayoral offices in the 100 largest cities in the United States, Republicans held 25, independents held four, and nonpartisan mayors held six. Two mayors' partisan affiliations were unknown.

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Click on a candidate's name to view that candidate's responses.

Elections

Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.

Candidates and results

General runoff election

General runoff election for Mayor of Nashville

Freddie O'Connell defeated Alice Rolli in the general runoff election for Mayor of Nashville on September 14, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Freddie O'Connell
Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
63.8
 
72,989
Image of Alice Rolli
Alice Rolli (Nonpartisan)
 
36.0
 
41,205
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
123

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 114,317
Candidate Connection = 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.

General election

General election for Mayor of Nashville

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Nashville on August 3, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Freddie O'Connell
Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
27.1
 
27,503
✔
Image of Alice Rolli
Alice Rolli (Nonpartisan)
 
20.2
 
20,472
Image of Matthew Wiltshire
Matthew Wiltshire (Nonpartisan)
 
17.0
 
17,193
Image of Jeff Yarbro
Jeff Yarbro (Nonpartisan)
 
12.2
 
12,356
Image of Heidi Campbell
Heidi Campbell (Nonpartisan)
 
8.2
 
8,337
Image of Sharon Hurt
Sharon Hurt (Nonpartisan)
 
6.0
 
6,104
Image of Vivian Wilhoite
Vivian Wilhoite (Nonpartisan)
 
4.7
 
4,758
Image of Jim Gingrich
Jim Gingrich (Nonpartisan) (Unofficially withdrew)
 
1.6
 
1,668
Image of Natisha Brooks
Natisha Brooks (Nonpartisan)
 
1.4
 
1,458
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Stephanie Johnson (Nonpartisan)
 
0.6
 
581
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Fran Bush (Nonpartisan)
 
0.5
 
503
Image of Bernie Cox
Bernie Cox (Nonpartisan)
 
0.3
 
322
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
80

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 101,335
Candidate Connection = 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Tennessee elections, 2023

What's on your ballot?
Click here to find out using My Vote


June 15, 2023
August 3, 2023
September 14, 2023

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Heidi Campbell

Image of Heidi Campbell

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Campbell received a bachelor’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College and a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. Her career experience includes working as an executive in the music industry and owning a business.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

On education policy, Campbell said, “We can serve [students] best by fully funding our schools–investing in our kids is an investment in our future. [...] As mayor, I will be a champion for public schools and will treat our educators and school staff like the true professionals they are.”

Campbell said transportation infrastructure was a priority in her campaign. Campbell said, “While big ticket items often get the most attention, our aging and overburdened roads, sewers, waste-management, and stormwater systems are at capacity; these are some of the biggest threats to our overall quality of life, and economic prosperity.”

Campbell said she would address housing, transportation, and childcare affordability by “harness[ing] the full power of public and private partnerships, such as the Barnes Housing Trust Fund, which has leveraged more than $933 million in federal and private funds to deliver 4000 affordable housing units.”

Show sources

Sources: Heidi Campbell's campaign website, "Priorities," accessed June 29, 2023; The Tennessean, "Struggling to pick a Nashville mayoral candidate? This scorecard might help.," June 22, 2023; Tennessee Capitol, "Senator Heidi Campbell," accessed June 29, 2023; Heidi Campbell's campaign website, "Meet Heidi," accessed June 29, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Nashville in 2023.

Jim Gingrich

Image of Jim Gingrich

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Gingrich received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from Cornell University. He previously worked as the chief operating officer of AllianceBernstein, an investment firm.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Gingrich’s campaign website highlighted his career experience, saying, “Jim is not a political insider so he won’t be accountable to insiders and special interest money. He is a proven business leader who worked his way up by delivering results time and again.”

Gingrich said his top priority was to create a growth management plan for Nashville. Gingrich said, “If elected, I would immediately put into place a growth management plan that would provide a holistic vision and forthcoming actions that address homelessness, housing and affordability, transit, public schools, crime, and infrastructure.”

Gingrich criticized Nashville’s municipal government, saying, “What have our politicians been focused on? Subsidizing a stadium for billionaires and catering to other special interests, like out-of-town developers.”

Show sources

Sources: The Tennessean, "Struggling to pick a Nashville mayoral candidate? This scorecard might help.," June 22, 2023; Jim Gingrich's campaign website, "Jim's Plan," accessed June 29, 2023; WKRN, "Nashville Mayor’s Race | Candidate Q&A: Jim Gingrich," May 9, 2023; LinkedIn, "James Gingrich," accessed June 29, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Nashville in 2023.

Sharon Hurt

Image of Sharon Hurt

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Hurt received a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University and a master’s degree from Belmont University. Her career experience included working as a teacher, as the director of Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership and Street Works, an HIV/AIDS outreach organization.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Hurt said her top priority was “building a Nashville that works for everyone. In Nashville, we have a tale of two cities and I want to make sure the kids on the forgotten blocks of Nashville have just as much opportunity as any other.”

Hurt said she would invest in public services. Hurt said, “We have to invest in our public schools, develop mass transit, and make sure government services are available in all the languages of all the communities in Nashville.”

Hurt said she would work to improve trust in government. Hurt said, “Once public services become reliable and effective, once the government starts working for the people, it will restore faith in the ability of the government to look out for them.”

Show sources

Sources: The Tennessean, "Meet Sharon Hurt, candidate for Nashville mayor," May 24, 2023; Nashville.gov, "Sharon Hurt," accessed June 29, 2023; The Tennessean, "Struggling to pick a Nashville mayoral candidate? This scorecard might help.," June 22, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Nashville in 2023.

Freddie O'Connell

Image of Freddie O'Connell

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "My name is Freddie O'Connell, and I grew up in Nashville, Tenn., where I've been a former neighborhood leader, non-profit leader, transit leader, and Metro Council member for 8 years in the most economically important part of the city and state. I've had a 25-year career in the software and technology industry, having worked for startups and publicly traded companies. My family and I have lived in the Salemtown neighborhood for 16 years, where I've been working on community partnerships almost the entire time. My partner is Whitney Boon, a Meharry-trained physician who practices pediatric neurology at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. We are the proud parents of two daughters who both attend public schools in Nashville. On Council, I've worked on transit and active transportation funding and implementation, housing and homelessness policy, repairing the harms of mass incarceration, community safety and crime prevention, and climate leadership."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I'm running for mayor to make it easier for people to stay in Nashville by tackling cost of living and quality of life.

We should be doing the things cities are supposed to do, including building a transit system.

I'm sick of planning fatigue and want to have actual fatigue from implementing the great community-based plans we have.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Nashville in 2023.

Alice Rolli

Image of Alice Rolli

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Rolli received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a master’s degree in business from the University of Virginia. Her career experience included being a business owner, working in the administration of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam (R), and as campaign manager for U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R).


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Rolli said education policy was a priority of her campaign. Her campaign website said she would work to ensure every first grader could read, and that “Alice began her career as a public school teacher where she saw, first hand, how hard, how rewarding, and how important it is to teach.”

Rolli said she would work to improve public safety by “improving recruitment and retention of officers and resetting from a criminal justice system to a victims justice system.”

On taxation and spending, Rolli said, “City Hall keeps talking about the rate of taxes – but regular people look at their tax bills – and we see that we are paying considerably more than we did a few years ago and getting less. [...] We need to focus on delivering results and value for the money our residents are paying.”

Show sources

Sources: Alice Rolli's campaign website, "Priorities," accessed June 29, 2023; The Tennessean, "Meet Alice Rolli, candidate for Nashville mayor," May 24, 2023; LinkedIn, "Alice Rolli," accessed June 29, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Nashville in 2023.

Vivian Wilhoite

Image of Vivian Wilhoite

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Wilhoite received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Tennessee State University. Her career experience included working as chief of the consumer services division at the Tennessee Regulatory Authority and Tennessee Public Service Commission.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Wilhoite said she would work to improve relations with the state government. Wilhoite said she would work to keep open communication between the municipal and state governments and that ”it is critical that my administration focus on the common goal of servant leadership, for all people, and avoid the partisan fighting where possible.”

Wilhoite said she would “create stronger neighborhoods and businesses, specifically small businesses, through public/private partnerships, [and by working] to build our affordable housing stock by utilizing Metro vacant land.”

Wilhoite said she would work to provide full funding to Nashville public schools. Wilhoite said, “we need stronger neighborhoods with sidewalks that go to good public schools, not sidewalks that go nowhere.”

Show sources

Sources: Vivian Wilhoite's campaign website, "On the Issues," accessed June 29, 2023; The Tennessean, "Meet Vivian Wilhoite, candidate for Nashville mayor," May 24, 2023; Office of the Assessor of Property, "Meet Assessor, Vivian M. Wilhoite," accessed June 29, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Nashville in 2023.

Matthew Wiltshire

Image of Matthew Wiltshire

YouTube

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Wiltshire received a bachelor’s degree in government and environmental studies from Dartmouth College. His professional experience includes working for Nashville’s Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency and as the director of the Nashville Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Wiltshire said public education was a priority for his campaign. He said, “The reality is that we’re asking our school system to “solve” a whole host of broader issues in our society. [...] We need to provide additional support services for kids, so that our teachers can focus on teaching and our kids can focus on learning in the classroom.”

Wiltshire said he would “fully staff and train our police and fire departments” and “efficiently utilize the officers we have by exploring options like using non-commissioned officers to respond to routine traffic accidents” in order to improve public safety.

Wiltshire said he would work to improve quality of life by “creating affordable housing in places that aren’t at the edges of our county; creating a transit and mobility system to make it easier to get to work and around our city; preserving and strengthening our parks, greenways and open space; and creating more opportunities for equitable economic development.”

Show sources

Sources: The Tennessean, "Meet Matt Wiltshire, candidate for Nashville mayor," May 24, 2023; LinkedIn, "Matt Wiltshire," accessed June 29, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Nashville in 2023.

Jeff Yarbro

Image of Jeff Yarbro

FacebookTwitter

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Yarbro received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. His professional experience included working as an attorney in private practice focusing on consumer financial services, constitutional law, and government contracts.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

On education, Yarbro said he would “work with MNPS to ensure adequate funding for our K-12 public schools, accountability standards trusted by both educators and parents, teachers who are respected and well-paid, and alignment of community investments and services to best support students.”

Yarbro said he would work to improve public safety by investing “in evidence-based, data-driven public safety strategies that concentrate special attention on the issues and individuals that drive violence in our community.”

Yarbro said housing affordability was a policy priority for his campaign. He said, “We need a city-wide approach to affordable and attainable housing that leverages not just Metro funds and properties but channels the energy and resources of the private and nonprofit sectors.”

Show sources

Sources: The Tennessean, "Meet Jeff Yarbro, candidate for Nashville mayor," accessed June 29, 2023; Tennessee General Assembly, "Senator Jeff Yarbro," accessed June 29, 2023; Jeff Yarbro's campaign website, "Meet Jeff," accessed June 29, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Nashville in 2023.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I'm running for mayor to make it easier for people to stay in Nashville by tackling cost of living and quality of life.

We should be doing the things cities are supposed to do, including building a transit system.

I'm sick of planning fatigue and want to have actual fatigue from implementing the great community-based plans we have.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

Nashville's biggest missing ingredient is transit and safe infrastructure. As a former chair of our local transit authority board of directors and as an inaugural member of our Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, I'm the candidate best equipped and most committed to developing a transit system supported by complete streets. I've worked for years to reduce the impact of gun violence in challenging communities, especially where the impact hits young people hard. I'm excited to expand community safety initiatives underway, including mental health co-response and group violence intervention as we try to keep Nashville safe.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I look up to people like Brent Toderian, Janette Sadik-Khan, and Gabe Klein, all of whom help transform cities to make them more livable and people-focused. I think as mayors who demonstrated enough capability at the local level to be able to understand national city transportation challenges, I would like to follow many of the examples of Sec. Anthony Foxx and Sec. Pete Buttigieg.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

Street Fight, Walkable City and Start-up City are pretty good starting points.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

Knowledge of policy tools and personnel, an authentic connection to community, strong communication skills, and transparency and integrity.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I have 20 years of experience in civic advocacy and leadership, including multiple boards and committees that span multiple local government departments.

I have strong communication skills and deep interest in how public policy can improve lives.

I'm patient and persistent and have spent public and private sector careers focused on how teams perform better than individuals ever could.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

The ability to build a strong, stable team that can last for a full term that enable both a customer service mindset and improved morale as well as a reminder that cities should be ambitious.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

A school system that serves more students and families more effectively, a meaningful transit system supported by safer infrastructure, and a city known for its livability.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I remember the Challenger explosion. I was in a portable classroom at Eakin Elementary. I was 9 years old.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

Though I delivered community newspapers in my neighborhood, my first real job at age 16 was working for The Great Escape on Broadway, a local music and collectibles shop. I worked full-time for a summer and that part-time through most of high school and college.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

HOUSE OF LEAVES by Mark Z. Danielewski is one of my absolute favorite books. I read it while recovering from an unexpected surgery, which occurred before I was vaccinated against COVID about a year into the pandemic. It was an unsettling look at relationships, fear of the unknown but also the intense curiosity that surrounds it, and an extraordinary framing device that speaks to the easy lament of the challenges of American life and culture in the 21st century.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

Westley, from THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

"Enter Sandman" by Metallica
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

In part because I have spent considerable time and energy devoted to causes I feel are important to champion, I have had the experience of financial security not being sustainable.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

The mayor governs, manages, and leads the city in a strong executive model.

This means a nimble team supports our Metro department heads by adding specialized capacity and building morale.

And the mayor personally communicates with the city about priorities and policy goals, working transparently and solicitously to implement them.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

We have a strong executive model in Nashville.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

There are times when the mayor leads and invites the Council to follow that lead, and there are times when the Council should be a full partner to the mayor in community-driven initiatives.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I love our identity as Music City and the many neighborhoods and communities that give us diversity as a strength in fulfilling that identity.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

Our growth has been too unmanaged, and our unwillingness to do some of the hard things that make small groups of people frustrated has left us lagging behind on key implementation of good ideas and plans. The state government is also frequently in an adversarial posture to the city.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

Ideally, we are partners in economic growth and generally left alone to govern ourselves as a city on matters that don't rely on state partnership.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I hope Nashville has a strong partnership with the federal government as we leverage important federal programs and funding over the next few years to increase equitable access to infrastructure.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

Why did the piece of gum cross the road? Because it was stuck to the chicken's foot.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

The mayor and the chief of police are the city's two most important partners in keeping the city safe.
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Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

It's critically important to have the consent of the governed. I expect to have a robust Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods and Community Outreach as well as a robust Mayor's Office of New Americans. We've seen these offices previously work well both independently but even better together.
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Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I hope to take full advantage of both the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act as well as Tennessee's Transportation Modernization Act to implement a local work plan already created by our local transit authority as well as expanding on ideas in our comprehensive transportation plan and strategic plan for sidewalks and bikeways. Given the recent failure of a legislative sidewalk policy in the court system, we will need to overhaul our approach to having our development community more meaningfully partner in delivery of sidewalks.
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Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

We have made strong investments in recent years in police personnel, equipment, technology, and facilities. Going forward, we need to couple those with recent steps toward broader community safety programs, like mental health co-response, community safety partnership investments, and group violence intervention.
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Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

At the decade mark, we need to revisit NashvilleNext, the general plan of Nashville. We need to revisit it to incorporate lessons learned. We will probably need to significantly revise our zoning code, which has not kept up with community preferences for design standards. One of the best ways we can prevent displacement is by helping elderly Nashvilians and disabled veterans take advantage of property tax freeze and relief programs.
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Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

Many parts of downtown as a whole are healthy, but our entertainment district has developed unhealthy characteristics.

A healthy downtown is one where people are eager to live, work, play, and invest.

I would like for the places we are seeking to attract visitors not to repel locals.
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Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I appreciate that we have moved beyond policing. See above for other thoughts. I will keep intact most of the programs of the current Office of Community Safety. I would also like to continue recovering from harms of previous policies that caused unjust mass incarceration, particularly in the 37208 zip code. A recent fines and fees study gave us a roadmap that we've made great progress on, but we have more work to do.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

We will need to revisit the relationship between our police department and our community oversight board, which was changed by state preemption. I expect that to be a collaborative effort involving the mayor's office, the police department, the oversight board, and key community stakeholders.
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Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I think we could've implemented a hybrid approach to schools slightly earlier, as soon as local teachers were considered fully vaccinated.

I also would've worked hard to ensure that CARES Act money was rushed into scenarios where people could access it directly to offset job losses and other economic hardships caused by COVID rather than making an effort to save it.

I think it was imperative to develop and early strategic plan for federal funding.

And I would've done more to prepare to follow best practices for COVID response specifically in Nashville's homeless community.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I think the process we followed with NashvilleNext was incredibly valuable. Our Planning department did unprecedented levels of community outreach, benchmarking their geographic and demographic diversity the whole way.

Meanwhile, Mayor Becker years ago established best practices for transparency in Salt Lake City.

Fortunately, Nashville already has in our possession a number of great community-based plans. We just need to implement them.
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Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

We should implement a transit system.

And we can accelerate community solar projects.

I think we should also explore beginning to lower emissions in lawn care in parks and at Metro facilities.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I think we need to be better about helping people navigate mass displacement events as well as develop clinical capacity for mental and behavioral health as we respond to trauma. We also need to have a resiliency-oriented approach for our next potential pandemic, including strategies for contact tracing, overall well-being, and policy recommendations for individuals and businesses.
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Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

Record requests from the public should generally result in a rapid, thorough response, but we do need constraints to prevent abuse of large searches and frequent retrieval for staff.

I think I would look to Mayor Becker's model in SLC as a reference standard.

I do think we need policies on archiving content and public reports and data sets.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

I have generally reviewed our local police's compstat data and other data sets supplied by the department alongside FBI data sets that track local data. Our crime rates have ticked back up since historic lows established just a few years before COVID.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/FreddieOConnell.jpg

Freddie O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

TIRRC Votes (Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition)

Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1235 Metro Council Members Bob Mendes, Sean Parker, Erin Evans, Russ Bradford, Sandra Sepulveda, and Dave Rosenberg Tennessee Student Union

Sunrise Nashville


Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.


Grey.png Heidi Campbell

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Campbell while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.


Grey.png Jim Gingrich

June 26, 2023
June 14, 2023
April 19, 2023

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Grey.png Sharon W. Hurt

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Grey.png Freddie O'Connell

June 29, 2023
March 9, 2023
May 17, 2022

View more ads here:


Grey.png Alice Rolli

June 19, 2023
April 5, 2023

View more ads here:


Grey.png Vivian Wilhoite

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Wilhoite while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.


Grey.png Matthew Wiltshire

June 12, 2023
May 27, 2023
February 17, 2023

View more ads here:


Grey.png Jeff Yarbro

June 28, 2023

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Endorsements

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Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

Election spending

Campaign finance

Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Davidson County Election Commission. Click here to access those reports.

Mayoral partisanship

Nashville has a Democratic mayor. As of September 2025, 66 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 23 are affiliated with the Republican Party, one is affiliated with the Libertarian Party, three are independents, five identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors' affiliations are unknown. Click here for a list of the 100 largest cities' mayors and their partisan affiliations.

Mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan in most of the nation's largest cities. However, many officeholders are affiliated with political parties. Ballotpedia uses one or more of the following sources to identify each officeholder's partisan affiliation: (1) direct communication from the officeholder, (2) current or previous candidacy for partisan office, or (3) identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets.

What's at stake?

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Candidate survey

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Election context

Nashville mayoral election history

2019

General runoff election

General runoff election for Mayor of Nashville

John Cooper defeated incumbent David Briley in the general runoff election for Mayor of Nashville on September 12, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John Cooper
John Cooper (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
69.1
 
62,440
Image of David Briley
David Briley (Nonpartisan)
 
30.2
 
27,281
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
621

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 90,342
Candidate Connection = 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.

General election

General election for Mayor of Nashville

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Nashville on August 1, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John Cooper
John Cooper (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
35.0
 
35,676
✔
Image of David Briley
David Briley (Nonpartisan)
 
25.3
 
25,786
Image of Carol Swain
Carol Swain (Nonpartisan)
 
22.0
 
22,387
Image of John Ray Clemmons
John Ray Clemmons (Nonpartisan)
 
16.1
 
16,391
Image of Julia Clark-Johnson
Julia Clark-Johnson (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
0.4
 
404
Image of Bernie Cox
Bernie Cox (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
337
Image of Jimmy Lawrence
Jimmy Lawrence (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
305
Image of Jody Ball
Jody Ball (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
280
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Nolan Starnes (Nonpartisan)
 
0.1
 
129
Image of Jon Sewell
Jon Sewell (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
24
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
83

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 101,802
Candidate Connection = 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.

2018

See also: Mayoral special election in Nashville, Tennessee (2018)

General election

Special general election for Mayor of Nashville

The following candidates ran in the special general election for Mayor of Nashville on May 24, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of David Briley
David Briley (Nonpartisan)
 
54.4
 
44,845
Image of Carol Swain
Carol Swain (Nonpartisan)
 
22.9
 
18,850
Image of Erica Gilmore
Erica Gilmore (Nonpartisan)
 
5.6
 
4,608
Image of Harold Love
Harold Love (Nonpartisan)
 
5.3
 
4,349
Image of Ralph Bristol
Ralph Bristol (Nonpartisan)
 
5.3
 
4,341
Image of Jeff Obafemi Carr
Jeff Obafemi Carr (Nonpartisan)
 
4.6
 
3,790
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
David Hiland (Nonpartisan)
 
0.4
 
325
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Ludye Wallace (Nonpartisan)
 
0.4
 
324
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Carlin Alford (Nonpartisan)
 
0.3
 
243
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Albert Hacker (Nonpartisan)
 
0.2
 
169
Image of Julia Clark-Johnson
Julia Clark-Johnson (Nonpartisan)
 
0.2
 
168
Image of Jeffrey Napier
Jeffrey Napier (Nonpartisan)
 
0.2
 
141
Image of Jon Sewell
Jon Sewell (Nonpartisan)
 
0.1
 
93
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
122

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 82,368
Candidate Connection = 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: Nashville, Tennessee municipal elections, 2015

The city of Nashville, Tennessee, held nonpartisan elections for mayor and metro council on August 6, 2015. A runoff election took place on September 10, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was May 21, 2015. All 41 metro council seats—including the office of vice mayor—were up for election. In the mayoral race, candidates included Megan Barry, Charles Robert Bone, David Fox, Bill Freeman, Howard Gentry, Jeremy Kane and Linda Eskind Rebrovick. In the general election, Barry and Fox advanced to the runoff election.[10] Barry defeated Fox in the runoff election.[11] Incumbent Karl Dean was term-limited.[12]

Nashville Mayor Runoff Election, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMegan Barry 54.8% 60,519
David Fox 45% 49,694
Write-in 0.2% 241
Total Votes 110,454
Source: City of Nashville Election Commission, "Official runoff election results," accessed October 2, 2015


Nashville Mayor General Election, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMegan Barry 23.5% 24,553
Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Fox 22.8% 23,754
Bill Freeman 21.4% 22,308
Howard Gentry 11.6% 12,110
Charles Robert Bone 10.5% 10,962
Linda Eskind Rebrovick 5.6% 5,827
Jeremy Kane 4.6% 4,767
Write-in 0.1% 62
Total Votes 93,687
Source: City of Nashville Election Commission, "Official general election results," accessed September 15, 2015

Earlier results


About the city

See also: Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is a city in Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. In 1962, the governments of the city of Nashville and Davidson County merged to form the Nashville-Davidson Metro Government. As of 2020, its population was 715,884.

City government

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of Nashville uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographic Data for Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville Tennessee
Population 715,884 6,910,840
Land area (sq mi) 503 41,232
Race and ethnicity**
White 62.8% 76.7%
Black/African American 26.9% 16.7%
Asian 3.6% 1.8%
Native American 0.2% 0.3%
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.1%
Other (single race) 2.8% 1.5%
Multiple 3.7% 2.9%
Hispanic/Latino 10.3% 5.6%
Education
High school graduation rate 89.7% 88.2%
College graduation rate 43.3% 28.2%
Income
Median household income $62,515 $54,833
Persons below poverty level 14.2% 14.6%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.



2023 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2023 battleground elections included:

See also

Nashville, Tennessee Tennessee Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Tennessean, "Struggling to pick a Nashville mayoral candidate? This scorecard might help.," June 22, 2023
  2. ↑ The Tennessean, "Nashville mayor's race: Freddie O'Connell, Alice Rolli headed to runoff," August 7, 2023
  3. ↑ Axios, "Inside Nashville mayor's decision not to run," February 1, 2023
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Axios Nashville, "O'Connell finishes first in Nashville mayor's race, will face Rolli in runoff," August 4, 2023
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Nashville Scene, "The Race: Exploring Four Key Issues That Will Face Nashville’s Next Mayor," June 29, 2023
  6. ↑ Public Policy Polling, "Nashville Survey Results," accessed June 29, 2023
  7. ↑ Tennessee Lookout, "Analysis: State of the Nashville mayor’s race," May 2, 2023
  8. ↑ The Tennessean, "Struggling to pick a Nashville mayoral candidate? This scorecard might help.," June 22, 2023
  9. ↑ The Tennessean, "Why we could have as many as four mayors in four years in Nashville,"March 7, 2018
  10. ↑ City of Nashville Election Commission, "Official general election results," accessed September 15, 2015
  11. ↑ City of Nashville Election Commission, "Official runoff election results," accessed October 2, 2015
  12. ↑ City of Nashville, "Davidson County Election Commission," accessed December 4, 2014
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