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Mayoral election in Tucson, Arizona (2019)

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2021
2017
2019 Tucson elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: May 29, 2019
Primary election: August 27, 2019
General election: November 5, 2019
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor and city council
Total seats up: 4 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Partisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2019

The city of Tucson, Arizona, held a general election for mayor on November 5, 2019. A primary was scheduled for August 27, 2019. The filing deadline for this election was May 29, 2019.

Regina Romero won election in the general election for Mayor of Tucson.

Elections

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

Candidates and results

General election

General election for Mayor of Tucson

Regina Romero defeated Edward Ackerley and Mike Cease in the general election for Mayor of Tucson on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Regina Romero
Regina Romero (D)
 
55.9
 
55,654
Image of Edward Ackerley
Edward Ackerley (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
39.4
 
39,233
Image of Mike Cease
Mike Cease (G)
 
4.0
 
3,953
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
728

Total votes: 99,568
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Mayor of Tucson

Regina Romero defeated Steve Farley and Randi Dorman in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Tucson on August 27, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Regina Romero
Regina Romero
 
50.2
 
24,592
Image of Steve Farley
Steve Farley
 
37.1
 
18,175
Image of Randi Dorman
Randi Dorman Candidate Connection
 
12.5
 
6,109
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
137

Total votes: 49,013
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.

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Green primary election

Green primary for Mayor of Tucson

Mike Cease advanced from the Green primary for Mayor of Tucson on August 27, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Cease
Mike Cease
 
59.5
 
91
 Other/Write-in votes
 
40.5
 
62

Total votes: 153
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.

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Endorsements

Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Past elections

2015

See also: Tucson, Arizona municipal elections, 2015

The city of Tucson, Arizona, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. Because only one candidate from the Democratic party filed to run, the primary scheduled for August 25, 2015, was called off. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was May 27, 2015, for primary candidates and was September 24, 2015, for general election candidates. Three of the six city council seats were up for election. In the mayoral race, incumbent Jonathan Rothschild (D) defeated write-in candidates Joshua Chesser, Charles Phillips and Paula Huff in the general election.[1][2]

Mayor of Tucson, General election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Jonathan Rothschild Incumbent 93.1% 61,358
     Independent Paula Huff (Write-in) 0.2% 109
     Independent Joshua Chesser (Write-in) 0.1% 71
     Independent Charles Phillips (Write-in) 0.1% 65
Write-in votes 6.56% 4,327
Total Votes 65,930
Source: Pima County Elections Department, "Official Canvass Consolidated Elections November 3, 2015," November 9, 2015

2011

In the 2011 general election, Rothschild defeated Rick Grinnel (R) and Mary DeCamp (G).

Mayor of Tucson, 2011
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJonathan Rothschild 55.1% 46,717
     Republican Rick Grinnel 40% 33,922
     Green Mary DeCamp 4.9% 4,195
Total Votes 84,834
Source: City of Tucson 2011 General Election Results

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Arizona elections, 2019

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

Mayoral partisanship

Once mayors elected in 2019 assumed office, the mayors of 65 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party. Out of the 31 mayoral elections that were held in 2019 in the 100 largest cities, five partisan changes occurred. Democrats gained three mayorships: two previously held by Republicans and one previously held by an independent. Republicans won one office held by an unaffiliated mayor, and one office where the incumbent's partisan affiliation was unknown.

In the elections in Phoenix, Arizona and Wichita, Kansas, Democrats won seats with Republican incumbents. In Wichita, Democrat Brandon Whipple defeated Republican incumbent Jeff Longwell. In Raleigh, North Carolina, a Democrat won a seat previously held by an independent. In Aurora, Colorado, a Republican succeeded an unaffiliated mayor. In Garland, Texas, a Republican succeeded a mayor with unknown party affiliation. Incumbents did not seek re-election in Phoenix, Raleigh, Aurora, or Garland.

Click here to learn more.

What was at stake?

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Candidate survey

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Candidate Connection

Edward Ackerley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ackerley's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

EDWARD ACKERLEY Ed.D.|Since 1976, Dr. Edward Ackerley has been an account executive at Ackerley Advertising where he is responsible for managing client relationships, new businesses development, and customer and client satisfaction. He plays a key role is in devising and executing marketing strategies, goals, and objectives for clients.||In addition to his executive career, Dr. Ackerley teaches college-level courses at the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University. These classes include Marketing, Creativity, Creative Professional Communication, Sales, Public Relations, Leadership, Administration, Media Arts and Hospitality. His affiliation with the American Advertising Federation includes leadership roles in the American Advertising Federation Tucson including past President, and nationally as a Governor, National Board of Directors and Chairman of the Council of Governors. Recognition includes Advertising Professional of the Year, Hall of Fame and AAF Silver Medal Award. CreatingMAGIC is both his educational seminar and book of the same title, and includes consulting and management training.||Dr. Edward Ackerley is an accomplished Senior Executive, Entrepreneur, and Professor with more than four decades of success in retail, tourism, hotels, golf, and nonprofits. Leveraging extensive experience managing relationships between his advertising agency, clients, and media, he is a valuable asset for companies experiencing sluggish growth and seeking expert assistance with company rejuvenation and re-branding. His broad areas of expertise include relationship management, leadership, creativity, advertising, and marketing.||Dr. Ackerley holds an Ed.D. and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University, and a B.F.A. in Radio & Television from the University of Arizona. He is active in the American Advertising Federation and the American Marketing Association.
  • #WeNeedMorePoliceAndFire - Increase the number of officers and firefighters. Establish and fund 311 Non-Emergency System. Expand TC3 Tucson Collaboarative Care.
  • #FixOurStreets #FillThePotholes #$CleanTheMedians - Fill 8000 potholes per month. Reauthorize RTA for maintenance. Introduce recycled plastic bottles into asphalt. Synchronize traffic lights and HAWK Crosswalks.
  • #SafeCleanParks - Foster transparency with Prop 407 $225 million bond. Beautify and green up the parks and see them safe. Cooperate with Pima County Parks to modernize.
#NoSanctuaryCity - I am opposed to the Sanctuary City label because it will make us less safe and have a negative affect on core services.

The effect of labeling ourselves a Sanctuary City is to instruct sworn Tucson Police officers to violate their oath to ignore the law and direct them to refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement. This is unacceptable.

If the Sanctuary City initiative passes we could lose federal funds and $150 million in state shared revenue that would result in a dramatic reduction in core services.
With reduced funds for police, fire, good roads and parks - Tucson would not attract tourism or new business that is the engine to increase our sales tax base and general fund revenues.

Tucson has always been and will continue to be a welcoming city that embraces all people no matter their origin, ethnicity or beliefs. We don't need a sanctuary label to be inclusive; it is ultimately detrimental to the welfare of the city.
Statesmen and women who hold up the principles of our democracy and are patriotic Americans
Leadership ability, fairness, transparency, authenticity, honesty and diligence.
A better Tucson (including infrastructure, water and vision) for the next 50 years to leave a legacy for my grandsons who will grow up in a town and have a wonderful life like I have had in my 60 years here.
Ed Ackerley's approach to the community is business friendly. Through his company, he has interacted with hundreds of companies including mom and pop startups to large national corporations and chains. Ed's administrative experience includes leading companies through marketing challenges. He has taught in the University of Arizona Eller College of Business for over twenty-five years, and has been an advertising professional for over four decades.

The theme of the campaign includes a Business Friendly approach as he has seen firsthand how profitable businesses can help the community grow. Business is the life-blood of the Old Pueblo providing jobs, sales tax revenue and a framework for growth. In the six decades he has lived in Tucson, Ed has witnessed the expansion of Tucson from a small tourist town to a thriving commercial center including deeper and profitable relationships with Mexico.

Business Friendly means working with the city council, city manager and city staff to insure that new businesses can quickly start up and become viable. It also means supporting existing businesses with infrastructure and systems to remain competitive in a global environment. Business Friendly means working with state, county and city government to insure that business is strong with a vision for future growth and sustainability in a rapidly changing economy.
Chief Marketing Officer - Chief Marketing Officer of the city telling the world about the great things Tucson has to offer. This will be exemplified with more police officers, fire fighters, fixed roads and safe and clean parks.
Leadership. • I am a native Tucsonan in a fifty-one year old family business, and I have led organizations and non-profits on the local and national level. I have a doctorate in Educational Leadership. The focus of my campaign is about the solving important issues that affect the city... core services including increasing police and fire staffing, fixing our roads, greening our parks and stimulating job growth and the local economy.
The feeling - it is about the weather, culture, people, diversity, friendliness, geography, and opportunity!
Collaborative and a good working relationship with Governor and Legislature.
Collaborative with a good working relationship with our delegation, Congress and the Administration.

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.

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Randi Dorman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dorman's responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1) Economic Development - creating more and better paying jobs 2) Smart Growth - planning for the growth that is occurring while protecting our character, culture and neighborhoods 3) Sustainability and protecting our environment

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about growing and diversifying the Tucson economy and creating more and better paying jobs. Tucson has so much potential but we are a low wage town, have a 24% poverty rate and almost flat job growth. We have the ability to change that with a candidate who has both business and community leadership as a background. I have a vision of Tucson as a thriving 21st century city where we create opportunity for ourselves, our kids and ultimately their kids. It will take a specific focus on supporting local businesses and the startup community, bringing in appropriate new businesses, creating ecosystems of business sectors, and acting like a region to create the economic change we need and deserve.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Maya Angelou. Her books transformed how I think about overcoming obstacles and thriving against all odds.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, innovation, and a true interest in the well being of the people in her community.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a natural leader, intelligent, innovative, thoughtful, caring, collaborative and visionary.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Someone elected to office is responsible for taking care of the community's existing needs and planning for future needs so that their community can thrive.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to be remembered as the Mayor who turned Tucson into a thriving 21st century city. To me that would mean a vibrant economy; smart growth planning that balanced density in the core and along corridors and smart city technology with maintaining culture and character; and long term sustainability through protecting our environment, employing green technologies and building strategies and investing in public transportation and infrastructure

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

My parents filmed me in front of the TV during the lunar landing of 1969 when I was two years old. I'm not sure if I remember it specifically or if the movie has created that memory for me.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Golf Caddy. My friend Rita and I were the first female golf caddies at the golf course. We worked there during the summer in high school.

What is your favorite holiday? Why?

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is about family and friends, and being grateful for what we have.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is my favorite book. It was transformative because when I read it I was already in awe of the talent and wisdom of Maya Angelou, but was not aware of all she had overcome.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I would want to be a combination of Wonder Woman and Elastigirl.

What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?

I live in an old ice factory that my husband and I with partners developed into the Ice House Lofts, Arizona's first residential loft conversion. Our loft has the original wood ceilings, hot riveted steel trusses, and concrete and brick walls from the 1920's all paired with modern materials. The juxtaposition of the old and new materials and textures is beautiful.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Sucker by the Jonas Brothers

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

People have always thought of me as a leader and perceive me to have endless confidence. But I am my harshest critic and put an inordinate amount of pressure on myself to always do better

A mayor is a leader in his or her city. What does that mean to you?

The mayor in Tucson has just one vote with the council, but her power is to set vision, connect and collaborate to create a plan, and make that vision happen. That is what I plan to do as mayor.

Mayors have many responsibilities, which vary from city to city. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your city?

As Mayor of Tucson I will set vision, create a plan and make that vision happen. I will be the defacto chief marketer of the city and the spokesperson for the city to the rest of the world.

If the mayor in your city is a member of the city council and there's a city manager appointed to handle the day-to-day administration of the city government, what do you believe should be the mayor's top priority in office?

The Mayor's top priorities should be to set the vision, be the one to convene the right people to solve our problems, and be the chief spokesperson and marketer for the city.

What do you love most about your city?

I love Tucson's incredible people, rich culture and natural beauty. Tucson is truly unique.

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our greatest challenges are growing our economy so we can reduce our poverty levels and afford the quality of life Tucsonans deserve, planning for the growth that is happening while protecting our character and culture, and protecting our environment. We also need much more support of our education system, but the the Mayor does not have direct impact over that.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the state government?

Our state government has far too much power over city governments. We must change the make-up of the legislature and the governor's office and get them out of our business.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the federal government?

The federal government should refrain from being antagonistic to city government.

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.



About the city

See also: Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is a city in Pima County, Arizona. As of 2010, its population was 520,116.

City government

See also: Council-manager government

The city of Tucson uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.[3]

Demographics

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

Demographic Data for Tucson, Arizona
Tucson Arizona
Population 520,116 6,392,017
Land area (sq mi) 238 113,652
Race and ethnicity**
White 72.1% 77.2%
Black/African American 5.2% 4.5%
Asian 3.2% 3.3%
Native American 3.7% 4.5%
Pacific Islander 0.2% 0.2%
Other (single race) 10.2% 6.5%
Multiple 5.4% 3.7%
Hispanic/Latino 43.6% 31.3%
Education
High school graduation rate 85% 87.1%
College graduation rate 27.4% 29.5%
Income
Median household income $43,425 $58,945
Persons below poverty level 22.5% 15.1%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**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.


State profile

See also: Arizona and Arizona elections, 2019
USA Arizona location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

  • Arizona voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

State executives

  • Democrats held three of Arizona's 15 state executive offices and Republicans held nine. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
  • Arizona's governor was Republican Doug Ducey.

State legislature

Arizona Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D
Senate R R R R R R R R R S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Arizona quick stats

More Arizona coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for Arizona
 ArizonaU.S.
Total population:6,817,565316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):113,5943,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:78.4%73.6%
Black/African American:4.2%12.6%
Asian:3%5.1%
Native American:4.4%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.2%0.2%
Two or more:3.2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:30.3%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:86%86.7%
College graduation rate:27.5%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$50,255$53,889
Persons below poverty level:21.2%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Arizona.
**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.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states. No counties in Arizona are Pivot Counties.

Donald Trump (R) defeated Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 presidential election. Trump won 48.7 percent of the vote, while Clinton won 45.1 percent. Arizona was one of 12 key battleground states in 2016. Of the 30 states won by Trump in 2016, Arizona had the fifth closest margin. From when it became a state in 1912 to 2016, Arizona voted Republican in 66.7 percent of presidential elections. It voted Republican in all presidential elections from 2000 to 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Arizona. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[4][5]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 12 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 25 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 14 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 27.5 points. Clinton won two districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 18 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 22.9 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 16 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 21.5 points.

See also

Tucson, Arizona Arizona Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes