Municipal elections in Indianapolis, Indiana (2015)

Indianapolis, Indiana municipal elections, 2015

List of candidates MayorCity Council: District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22 • District 23 • District 24 • District 25

2015 Municipal Elections

Indianapolis, Indiana

The city of Indianapolis, Indiana, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. Republican and Democratic primary elections 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 and minor party candidates was July 15, 2015. Twenty-five city council seats were up for election. Indianapolis' four at-large seats were not up for election because those seats were scheduled to expire at the end of 2015.

In the mayoral race, former U.S. Attorney Joseph Hogsett (D) defeated local businessman and Iraq War veteran Charles Brewer (R). Prior to the general election, five Republicans and two Democrats faced off in their respective party primaries on May 5, 2015. Two-term mayor Greg Ballard (R) announced his intention to retire on November 5, 2014, saying, "We've done a lot of good things in the city, no question about that. But some things just feel right." In the Republican primary, Brewer sailed past his opponents, winning over 75 percent of the vote. A political novice, Brewer officially entered the race in January 2015 with the support of the Marion County Republican Party after several more established Indianapolis Republicans, such as former State Senator Murray Clark and Senator James Merritt, Jr., took their names out of the running. The Democratic nominee was Hogsett, who won the Democratic primary with almost 90 percent of the vote.

Republicans had their work cut out for them in their bid to hold on to the mayor's office for another four years. Prior to the primary election in May, Hogsett had already raised over $2.4 million. Brewer, by contrast, had raised about $670,000. A substantial chunk of that cash — $400,000 — came from Mayor Ballard. But despite this gulf in fundraising, Hogsett still faced an uphill battle. Republicans had held a tight grip on the office of mayor in Indianapolis since the late 1960s, barring only Democrat Bart Peterson's tenure from 2000 to 2007.

In the council race, 48 candidates competed for 25 seats. Twenty incumbents sought re-election, though only four were running for their currents seats. Because of redistricting, many council incumbents ran for election to new districts. A total of 16 council incumbents were running for different district seats. In one case, two incumbents fought for the same seat. In District 3, at-large incumbent Pamela Hickman (D) was defeated by District 4 incumbent Christine Scales (R) in the general election. A total of four members of the most recent city council lost their re-election bids.

Partisan politics, at both the local and state level, loomed large over Indianapolis' 2015 municipal elections, as the Democratic majority on city council prepared to take a hit. Leading up to the election, Democrats on the council held a 15-14 majority; but a series of state and local laws passed in 2011 and 2013, as well as an Indiana Supreme Court decision in 2014, made it unlikely that this majority would survive past 2015. The first blow came in 2013, when the Republican-controlled Indiana State Legislature passed a bill removing the council's four at-large seats. Democrats held three of these seats. They expired after the general election in 2015. The second blow came in 2014 when the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in favor of a new district map that Democratic council members argued heavily favored the GOP. Republican council members drew the map in 2011 when they still controlled the majority in the council. After Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard (R) signed the new map into law in 2012, Democrats immediately launched a lawsuit. Two years later, however, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ballard and council Republicans. The new map went into effect in conjunction with the 2015 elections. Democrats earned a 13-12 majority in the 2015 election.

Mayor

Candidate list

Note: Incumbent Greg Ballard (R) did not run for re-election.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Jocelyn-Tandy Adande
• Terry Michael
• Darrell Eugene Morris
• Lawrence Byron Shouse
• Charles Brewer a

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Larry Vaughn
• Joseph Hogsett a

November 3 General election candidates:

Charles Brewer

Joseph Hogsett

Samuel M. Carson (Write-in)

Election results

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

City council

Map of Indianapolis' council districts. Click to enlarge.

2016 → ← 2014

2015 Elections for Mayors and City Councils

Municipal Elections

2015 Elections By State 2015 Elections By Date Recent News

2015 Elections

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Note: Cities listed in this box are those among the 100 largest in the United States that held elections in 2015.

Candidate list

District 1

Note: Incumbent Jose M. Evans (R) did not run for re-election.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Angela Mansfield
• LeRoy Robinson a - At-large incumbent Robinson was elected to the council in 2011.

November 3 General election candidates:

LeRoy Robinson

Brian Jones

District 2

Note: Incumbent Angela Mansfield (D) ran for election to the District 1 seat.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Colleen Fanning a

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Kip Tew a - At-large incumbent Tew was elected to the council in 2014.

November 3 General election candidates:

Colleen Fanning

Kip Tew

Sam Goldstein

District 3

Note: Incumbent Will Gooden (R) did not run for re-election.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Tim Craft
• Christine Scales a - District 4 incumbent Scales was elected to the council in 2007.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Pamela Hickman a - At-large incumbent Hickman was elected to the council in 2011.

November 3 General election candidates:

Christine Scales

Pamela Hickman

Christopher Bowen

District 4

Note: Incumbent Christine Scales (R) ran for election to the District 3 seat.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Michael J. McQuillen a - District 12 incumbent McQuillen was elected to the council in 2007.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Raymond Jason Biederman a

November 3 General election candidates:

Michael J. McQuillen

Raymond Jason Biederman

District 5

Note: Incumbent Virginia Cain (R) did not run for re-election.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Jeffery William Coats a

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Curtis Westley Bigsbee a

November 3 General election candidates:

Jeffery William Coats

Curtis Westley Bigsbee

District 6

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Janice McHenry a - Incumbent McHenry was elected to the council in 2007.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Francisco Robert Islas a

November 3 General election candidates:

Janice McHenry

Francisco Robert Islas

District 7

Note: Incumbent Maggie A. Lewis (D) ran for election to the District 10 seat.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Joseph Simpsona - District 9 incumbent Simpson was elected to the council in 2011.

November 3 General election candidates:

Joseph Simpson

Adrianne L. Slash

District 8

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Monroe Gray, Jr. - Incumbent Gray was elected to the council in 1992.

November 3 General election candidates:

Monroe Gray, Jr.

Patrick Midla

District 9

Note: Incumbent Joseph Simpson (D) ran for election to the District 7 seat.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• William Oliver a - District 10 incumbent Oliver was elected to the council in 2004.

November 3 General election candidates:

William Oliver

Charles E. "Chuck" Madden

District 10

Note: Incumbent William Oliver (D) ran for election to the District 9 seat.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Maggie A. Lewis a - District 7 incumbent Lewis was elected to the council in 2009.

November 3 General election candidates:

Maggie A. Lewis

Terry Bible

District 11

Note: Incumbent Stephen Clay (D) ran for election to the District 13 seat.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Vop Osili a - District 15 incumbent Osili was elected to the council in 2011.

November 3 General election candidates:

Vop Osili

Remington "Remy" O'Guin

District 12

Note: Incumbent Michael J. McQuillen (R) ran for election to the District 4 seat.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Susan Marie Smith a

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Robert Blake Johnson a

November 3 General election candidates:

Susan Marie Smith

Robert Blake Johnson

Michael Gunyon

District 13

Note: Incumbent Robert Lutz (R) ran for election to the District 22 seat.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Terri Miller-Penquite a

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Stephen Clay a - District 11 incumbent Clay was elected to the council in 2014.

November 3 General election candidates:

Terri Miller-Penquite

Stephen Clay

District 14

Note: Incumbent Marilyn Pfisterer (R) ran for election to the District 15 seat.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• La Keisha Jackson a - District 18 incumbent Jackson was elected to the council in 2014.

November 3 General election candidates:

La Keisha Jackson

Terry Dove

District 15

Note: Incumbent Vop Osili (D) ran for election to the District 11 seat.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Marilyn Pfisterer a - District 14 incumbent Pfisterer was elected to the council in 2003.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Christopher Brian Wall a

November 3 General election candidates:

Marilyn Pfisterer

Christopher Brian Wall

Laurie S. Works

District 16

Note: Incumbent Zach Adamson (D) ran for election to the District 17 seat.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Jeff Miller a - District 19 incumbent Miller was elected to the council in 2011.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Emily Armonia Shrock a

November 3 General election candidates:

Jeff Miller

Emily Armonia Shrock

District 17

Note: Incumbent Mary Moriarty Adams (D) did not run for re-election.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Sally Spiers a

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Zach Adamson a - District 16 incumbent Adamson was elected to the council in 2011.

November 3 General election candidates:

Sally Spiers

Zach Adamson

District 18

Note: Incumbent La Keisha Jackson (D) ran for election to the District 14 seat.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Susie Cordi a

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Edwin Joseph Barnes a

November 3 General election candidates:

Susie Cordi

Edwin Joseph Barnes

District 19

Note: Incumbent Jeff Miller (R) ran for election to the District 16 seat.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Benjamin Hunter a - District 21 incumbent Hunter was elected to the council in 2007.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• David Michael Ray a

November 3 General election candidates:

Benjamin Hunter

David Michael Ray

District 20

Note: Incumbent Frank Mascari (D) ran for election to the District 21 seat.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Jason Holliday a - District 22 incumbent Holliday was elected to the council in 2011.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Jon Easter a

November 3 General election candidates:

Jason Holliday

Jon Easter

District 21

Note: Incumbent Benjamin Hunter (R) ran for election to the District 19 seat.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Anthony Paul Davidson a

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Frank Mascari a - District 20 incumbent Mascari was elected to the council in 2011.

November 3 General election candidates:

Anthony Paul Davidson

Frank Mascari

District 22

Note: Incumbent Jason Holliday (R) ran for election to the District 20 seat.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Robert Lutz a - District 13 incumbent Lutz was elected to the council in 2007.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Jared Nathaniel Evans a
• Stephanie Nicole Vibbert

November 3 General election candidates:

Robert Lutz

Jared Nathaniel Evans

District 23

Note: Incumbent Jefferson Shreve (R) did not run for re-election.

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Scott Allen Kreider a

November 3 General election candidates:

Scott Allen Kreider

Douglas McNaughton

District 24

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Jack Sandlin a - Incumbent Sandlin was elected to the council in 2010.

November 3 General election candidates:

Jack Sandlin

District 25

May 5 Republican primary candidates:

• Aaron Freeman a - Incumbent Freeman was elected to the council in 2010.

May 5 Democratic primary candidates:

• Jeffrey Todd Wheeler a

November 3 General election candidates:

Aaron Freeman

Jeffrey Todd Wheeler

Michael "Mike" Jasper

General election Districts 1-13

Indianapolis City Council District 1, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	LeRoy Robinson Incumbent	61.4%	4,218
	Republican	Brian Jones	38.6%	2,656
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				6,874
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 2, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Colleen Fanning	49.1%	4,959
	Democratic	Kip Tew	47.4%	4,784
	Libertarian	Sam Goldstein	3.6%	360
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				10,103
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 3, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Christine Scales Incumbent	54.6%	4,489
	Democratic	Pamela Hickman	42.7%	3,511
	Libertarian	Christopher Bowen	2.7%	226
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				8,226
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 4, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Michael J. McQuillen	58.9%	4,156
	Democratic	Raymond Jason Biederman	41.1%	2,904
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				7,060
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 5, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeffery William Coats	55.2%	4,453
	Democratic	Curtis Westley Bigsbee	44.8%	3,611
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				8,064
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 6, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Janice McHenry Incumbent	60.8%	3,798
	Democratic	Francisco Robert Islas	39.2%	2,446
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				6,244
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 7, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Joseph Simpson	71.7%	5,812
	Republican	Adrianne L. Slash	28.3%	2,293
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				8,105
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 8, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Monroe Gray, Jr. Incumbent	78.3%	5,435
	Republican	Patrick Midla	21.7%	1,506
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				6,941
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 9, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	William Oliver	82.5%	6,343
	Republican	Charles E. Madden	17.5%	1,343
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				7,686
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 10, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Maggie A. Lewis	80.1%	2,950
	Republican	Terry Bible	19.9%	732
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				3,682
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 11, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Vop Osili	86.6%	4,677
	Republican	Remington O'Guin	13.4%	724
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				5,401
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 12, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Robert Blake Johnson	59.6%	3,298
	Republican	Susan Marie Smith	34.5%	1,909
	Libertarian	Michael Gunyon	5.9%	324
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				5,531
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 13, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Stephen Clay	84.2%	4,738
	Republican	Terri Miller-Penquite	15.8%	888
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				5,626
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

General election Districts 14-25

Indianapolis City Council District 14, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	La Keisha Jackson	80.7%	2,975
	Republican	Terry Dove	19.3%	712
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				3,687
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 15, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Marilyn Pfisterer	57.3%	2,659
	Democratic	Christopher Brian Wall	37.8%	1,754
	Libertarian	Laurie S. Works	4.8%	224
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				4,637
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 16, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeff Miller	56.6%	1,751
	Democratic	Emily Armonia Shrock	43.4%	1,345
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				3,096
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 17, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Zach Adamson	84.6%	4,584
	Republican	Sally Spiers	15.4%	834
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				5,418
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 18, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Susie Cordi	57.9%	2,990
	Democratic	Edwin Joseph Barnes	42.1%	2,171
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				5,161
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 19, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	David Michael Ray	52.2%	3,169
	Republican	Benjamin Hunter	47.8%	2,907
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				6,076
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 20, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jason Holliday	61.8%	2,842
	Democratic	Jon Easter	38.2%	1,760
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				4,602
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 21, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Frank Mascari	60.2%	3,047
	Republican	Anthony Paul Davidson	39.8%	2,013
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				5,060
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 22, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jared Nathaniel Evans	54.1%	1,872
	Republican	Robert Lutz	45.9%	1,586
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				3,458
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 23, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Scott Allen Kreider	80.2%	3,878
	Libertarian	Douglas McNaughton	19.8%	957
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				4,835
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Indianapolis City Council District 25, General election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Aaron Freeman Incumbent	66.2%	4,188
	Democratic	Jeffrey Todd Wheeler	27.1%	1,713
	Libertarian	Mike Jasper	6.7%	427
		Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes				6,328
Source: Indianapolis and Marion County, "2015 Municipal Official Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015

Primary election

Indianapolis City Council, District 1 Democratic Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
LeRoy Robinson Incumbent	51.1%	806
Angela Mansfield	48.9%	771
Total Votes		1,577
Source: City of Indianapolis, "Official primary election results," accessed May 29, 2015

Indianapolis City Council, District 3 Republican Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Christine Scales Incumbent	54%	891
Tim Craft	46%	759
Total Votes		1,650
Source: City of Indianapolis, "Official primary election results," accessed May 29, 2015

Indianapolis City Council, District 22 Democratic Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jared Nathaniel Evans	63.6%	444
Stephanie Nicole Vibbert	36.4%	254
Total Votes		698
Source: City of Indianapolis, "Official primary election results," accessed May 29, 2015

Districts map

Below is a map of Indianapolis' council districts that went into effect with the 2015 elections. There were 25 districts of roughly equal size. Each district elected its own representative on the council. Click the map to return to the candidate list.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Indianapolis Indiana Election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Municipal elections in Indianapolis, Indiana (2015) - Google News

See also

• United States municipal elections, 2015
• Indianapolis, Indiana

External links

Suggest a link

• City of Indianapolis - Official website
• City of Indianapolis - 2015 Candidate Filings
• City of Indianapolis - 2015 Unofficial Primary Election Results
• Indy Star - "Indy Council up for grabs; mayoral field set," February 6, 2015