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United States mayoral elections, 2026

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2026 Election Results
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Ballotpedia is covering 31 mayoral elections in 2026.[1] This includes all mayoral elections in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population and all mayoral elections in state capitals. Click here to read about other municipal elections in 2026.

At the start of January 2026, the mayors of 67 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party. Republicans held 22 mayoral offices, Libertarians held ine office, independents held three, and five mayors were nonpartisan. Two mayors' partisan affiliations were unknown.

Ballotpedia tracks the partisan affiliation of the mayors of the 100 largest cities and each state capital, including mayors of cities holding nonpartisan mayoral elections. Click here to learn more.

Our coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what mayoral elections we are covering in your area.

To view a different election year, click one of the links below.

Ballotpedia also covers all mayoral recalls in the United States.

Explore Ballotpedia's coverage of these elections:
  • Battlegrounds
    Information on battleground elections
    Read more
  • Mayoral partisanship
    Information on the partisan balance of mayors across the country
    Read more
  • On the ballot
    A list of elections and candidates on the ballot
    Read more
  • List of mayors
    A list of mayors of the 100 largest cities
    Read more
  • Historical election data
    Historical data on municipal elections since 2014
    Read more


On the ballot

Click the tabs below to view information about the elections this year. In this section, you will find:

  • A list of elections by state
  • A list of elections by date
  • Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup Tool

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Florida

Kentucky

Nevada

New Jersey

North Carolina

North Dakota

Oklahoma

Oregon

Rhode Island

South Dakota

Texas

Vermont

Washington, D.C.

West Virginia

List of mayors of the 100 largest cities

See also: List of current mayors of the top 100 cities in the United States

The following table contains a list of current mayors of the 100 largest cities in the U.S. by population.

100 Largest Cities By Population
RankCityPopulation (2020)MayorTook officeTerm endsGovernment typeMayoral election in 2026?
1New York, New York8,804,190Zohran Mamdani20262030Strong mayorNo
2Los Angeles, California3,898,747Karen Bass20222026Strong mayorYes
3Chicago, Illinois2,746,388Brandon Johnson20232027Strong mayorNo
4Houston, Texas2,304,580John Whitmire20242028Strong mayorNo
5Phoenix, Arizona1,608,139Kate Gallego20192029Council-managerNo
6Philadelphia, Pennsylvania1,603,797Cherelle Parker20242028Strong mayorNo
7San Antonio, Texas1,434,625Gina Ortiz Jones20252027Council-managerNo
8San Diego, California1,386,932Todd Gloria20202028Strong mayorNo
9Dallas, Texas1,304,379Eric Johnson20192027Council-managerNo
10San Jose, California1,013,240Matt Mahan20232029Council-managerNo
11Austin, Texas961,855Kirk Watson20232029Council-managerNo
12Jacksonville, Florida949,611Donna Deegan20232027Strong mayorNo
13Fort Worth, Texas918,915Mattie Parker20212027Council-managerNo
14Columbus, Ohio905,748Andrew J. Ginther20152027Strong mayorNo
15Indianapolis, Indiana897,041Joseph Hogsett20162028Strong mayorNo
16Charlotte, North Carolina874,579Vi Lyles20172027Council-managerNo
17San Francisco, California873,965Daniel Lurie20252029Strong mayorNo
18Seattle, Washington737,015Katie Wilson20262030Strong mayorNo
19Denver, Colorado715,522Michael Johnston20232027Strong mayorNo
20Nashville, Tennessee715,884Freddie O'Connell20232027Strong mayorNo
21Oklahoma City, Oklahoma681,054David Holt20182026Council-managerYes
22El Paso, Texas678,815Renard Johnson (Unknown)20252029Council-managerNo
23Boston, Massachusetts675,647Michelle Wu20212030Strong mayorNo
24Portland, Oregon652,503Keith Wilson20252029HybridNo
25Las Vegas, Nevada641,903Shelley Berkley20242028Council-managerNo
26Detroit, Michigan639,111Mary Sheffield20262030Strong mayorNo
27Memphis, Tennessee633,104Paul Young20242028Strong mayorNo
28Louisville, Kentucky633,045Craig Greenberg20232027Strong mayorYes
29Baltimore, Maryland585,708Brandon M. Scott20242028Strong mayorNo
30Milwaukee, Wisconsin577,222Cavalier Johnson20212028Strong mayorNo
31Albuquerque, New Mexico564,559Tim Keller20172029Strong mayorNo
32Tucson, Arizona542,629Regina Romero20192027Council-managerNo
33Fresno, California542,107Jerry Dyer20252029HybridNo
34Sacramento, California524,943Kevin McCarty20242028Council-managerNo
35Kansas City, Missouri508,090Quinton Lucas20192027Council-managerNo
36Mesa, Arizona504,258Mark Freeman2025 2029Council-managerNo
37Atlanta, Georgia498,715Andre Dickens20222030Strong mayorNo
38Omaha, Nebraska486,051John Ewing Jr.20252029Strong mayorNo
39Colorado Springs, Colorado478,961Yemi Mobolade20232027Strong mayorNo
40Raleigh, North Carolina467,665Janet Cowell20242026Council-managerYes
41Long Beach, California466,742Rex Richardson20222026Council-managerYes
42Virginia Beach, Virginia459,470Bob Dyer20182028Council-managerNo
43Miami, Florida442,241Eileen Higgins20252029HybridNo
44Oakland, California440,646Barbara Lee20252027HybridYes
45Minneapolis, Minnesota429,954Jacob Frey20222030Strong mayorNo
46Tulsa, Oklahoma413,066Monroe Nichols20242028Strong mayorNo
47Bakersfield, California403,455Karen Goh20172029Council-managerNo
48Wichita, Kansas397,532Lily Wu20242028Council-managerNo
49Arlington, Texas394,266Jim Ross20212026Council-managerYes
50Aurora, Colorado386,261Mike Coffman20192027Council-managerNo
51Tampa, Florida384,959Jane Castor20192027Strong mayorNo
52New Orleans, Louisiana383,997Helena Moreno20262030Strong mayorNo
53Cleveland, Ohio372,624Justin Bibb20222030Strong mayorNo
54Honolulu, Hawaii350,964Rick Blangiardi20212028Strong mayorNo
55Anaheim, California346,824Ashleigh Aitken20222026Council-managerYes
56Lexington, Kentucky322,570Linda Gorton20192027Strong mayorYes
57Stockton, California320,804Christina Fugazi20252029Council-managerNo
58Corpus Christi, Texas317,863Paulette Guajardo (Nonpartisan)20252027Council-managerYes
59Henderson, Nevada317,610Michelle Romero20232027Council-managerYes
60Riverside, California314,998Patricia Lock Dawson (Nonpartisan)20202028Council-managerNo
61Newark, New Jersey311,549Ras J. Baraka20142026Strong mayorYes
62St. Paul, Minnesota311,527Kaohly Her20262030Strong mayorNo
63Santa Ana, California310,227Valerie Amezcua20222026Council-managerYes
64Cincinnati, Ohio309,317Aftab Pureval20222030HybridNo
65Irvine, California307,670Larry Agran20242026Council-managerYes
66Orlando, Florida307,573Buddy Dyer20032028Strong mayorNo
67Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania302,971Corey O'Connor20262030Strong mayorNo
68St. Louis, Missouri301,578Cara Spencer20252029Strong mayorNo
69Greensboro, North Carolina299,035Marikay Abuzuaiter20252029Council-managerNo
70Jersey City, New Jersey292,449James Solomon20262029Strong mayorNo
71Anchorage, Alaska291,247Suzanne LaFrance (Nonpartisan)20242027HybridNo
72Lincoln, Nebraska291,082Leirion Gaylor Baird20192027Strong mayorNo
73Plano, Texas285,494John Muns20212029Council-managerNo
74Durham, North Carolina283,506Leonardo Williams20232027Council-managerNo
75Buffalo, New York278,349Sean Ryan20262030Strong mayorNo
76Chandler, Arizona275,987Kevin Hartke20192027Council-managerYes
77Chula Vista, California275,487John McCann20222026Council-managerYes
78Toledo, Ohio270,871Wade Kapszukiewicz20222026Strong mayorNo
79Madison, Wisconsin269,840Satya Rhodes-Conway20192027Strong mayorNo
80Gilbert, Arizona267,918Scott Anderson20252029HybridNo
81Reno, Nevada264,165Hillary Schieve (Nonpartisan)20142026Council-managerYes
82Fort Wayne, Indiana263,886Sharon Tucker20242027Strong mayorNo
83North Las Vegas, Nevada262,527Pamela Goynes-Brown20222026Council-managerYes
84St. Petersburg, Florida258,308Kenneth Welch20222027Strong mayorYes
85Lubbock, Texas257,141Mark McBrayer20242026Council-managerYes
86Irving, Texas256,684Rick Stopfer20172026Council-managerYes
87Laredo, Texas255,205Victor Treviño (Unknown)20222026Council-managerYes
88Winston-Salem, North Carolina249,545Allen Joines20012028Council-managerNo
89Chesapeake, Virginia249,422Richard West20082028Council-managerNo
90Glendale, Arizona248,325Jerry Weiers20132028Council-managerNo
91Garland, Texas246,018Dylan Hedrick (Nonpartisan)20252027Council-managerNo
92Scottsdale, Arizona241,361Lisa Borowsky20252029Council-managerNo
93Norfolk, Virginia238,005Kenneth Alexander20162029Council-managerNo
94Boise, Idaho235,684Lauren McLean20202028Strong mayorNo
95Fremont, California230,504Raj Salwan20242028Council-managerNo
96Spokane, Washington228,989Lisa Brown20242028Strong mayorNo
97Santa Clarita, California228,673Laurene Weste[2]20252026Council-managerNo
98Baton Rouge, Louisiana227,470Emile "Sid" Edwards20252028Strong mayorNo
99Richmond, Virginia226,610Danny Avula20252029Strong mayorNo
100Hialeah, Florida223,109Bryan Calvo20262030Strong mayorNo 

Historical election data

Cities in Ballotpedia's coverage scope held an average of 33.4 mayoral elections and 59.2 city council elections each year between 2015 and 2024. From 2014 to 2016, our coverage scope included the 100 largest U.S. cities by population. In 2017, Ballotpedia began covering the counties that overlap those cities, as well. In 2021, our coverage scope expanded to include the mayors, city councils, and district attorneys in the 32 state capitals that fell outside the 100 largest U.S. cities.

This section includes statistics for mayoral elections, city council elections, and county elections between 2014 and 2024, comparing uncontested races, incumbents who sought re-election, and incumbents who were defeated in their re-election bids.

The following table details the total number of elections at the city and county level covered by Ballotpedia between 2014 and 2014, including the number of cities to hold mayoral and city council elections in a given year:

Total municipal elections covered by Ballotpedia from 2014 to 2024
Year Cities Mayor City council Counties
2024
85
41
72
80
2023
77
40
69
29
2022
86
34
75
81
2021
70
40
59
22
2020
59
29
52
80
2019
64
30
63
29
2018
58
26
49
78
2017
59
36
50
23
2016
46
25
45
12
2015
59
33
58
N/A
2014
43
24
42
N/A


Mayoral elections

Between 2015 and 2024, 67.4% of incumbent mayors sought re-election; of these, 16.9% were defeated in their bids for re-election. The first chart below shows the number of incumbents who sought election each year compared to the number of seats up for election. The second chart shows the number of incumbents who were defeated compared to the number of incumbents who ran for re-election.

The table below is organized by year and includes the total number of mayoral races and the number and percentage of uncontested races, incumbents who sought re-election, and incumbents who were defeated in their re-election bids.

Mayoral election incumbency statistics from 2014 to 2024
Year Total seats Uncontested Incumbents who
sought re-election 		Incumbents defeated
# % # % # %
2024
41
2
4.9%
28
68.3%
5
17.9%
2023
40
5
12.5%
26
65.0%
4
15.4%
2022
34
0
0.0%
22
64.7%
3
13.6%
2021
40
1
2.5%
24
60.0%
3
12.5%
2020
29
1
3.4%
22
75.9%
5
22.7%
2019
30
2
6.7%
21
70.0%
4
19.0%
2018
26
1
3.8%
18
69.2%
1
5.6%
2017
36
0
0.0%
24
66.7%
5
20.8%
2016
25
4
16.0%
15
60.0%
4
26.7%
2015
33
3
9.1%
25
75.8%
4
16.0%
2014
24
2
8.3%
14
58.3%
2
14.3%


City council elections

Between 2015 and 2024, 68.6% of city council incumbents sought re-election; of these, 13.2% were defeated in their bids for re-election. The first chart below shows the number of incumbents who sought election each year compared to the number of seats up for election. The second chart shows the number of incumbents who were defeated compared to the number of incumbents who ran for re-election.

The table below is organized by year and includes the total number of city council races and the number and percentage of uncontested races, incumbents who sought re-election, and incumbents who were defeated in their re-election bids.

City council election incumbency statistics from 2014 to 2024
Year Total seats Uncontested Incumbents who
sought re-election 		Incumbents defeated
# % # % # %
2024
328
65
19.8%
214
65.2%
33
15.4%
2023
610
126
20.7%
442
72.5%
41
9.3%
2022
346
58
16.8%
215
62.1%
37
17.2%
2021
416
63
15.1%
276
66.3%
47
17.0%
2020
253
47
18.6%
175
69.2%
26
14.9%
2019
457
59
12.9%
312
68.3%
39
12.5%
2018
200
29
14.5%
137
68.5%
19
13.9%
2017
367
47
12.8%
274
74.7%
37
13.5%
2016
216
48
22.2%
156
72.2%
22
14.1%
2015
467
97
20.8%
309
66.2%
30
9.7%
2014
198
31
15.7%
130
65.7%
21
16.2%

County elections

Between 2017 and 2024, 82.1% of county and special district incumbents sought re-election; of these, 7.6% were defeated in their bids for re-election. The table below is organized by year and includes the total number of county races and the number and percentage of uncontested races, incumbents who sought re-election, and incumbents who were defeated in their re-election bids.

County election incumbency statistics from 2017 to 2024
Year Total seats Uncontested Incumbents who
sought re-election 		Incumbents defeated
# % # % # %
2024
2,361
1,388
58.8%
1,942
82.3%
109
5.6%
2023
208
105
50.5%
131
63.0%
7
5.3%
2022
2,499
1,347
53.9%
2,041
81.7%
152
7.4%
2021
176
59
33.5%
106
60.2%
8
7.5%
2020
2,167
1,190
54.9%
1,861
85.9%
147
7.9%
2019
183
85
46.4%
140
76.5%
11
7.9%
2018
2,168
1,115
51.4%
1,807
83.3%
176
9.7%
2017
108
47
43.5%
74
68.5%
9
12.2%


Uncontested races

An average of 5.7% mayoral races and 17.5% city council races went uncontested between 2015 and 2024. In terms of mayoral elections, 2023 saw the highest number of uncontested races (five) and 2017 and 2022 saw the fewest (zero). For city council seats, 2023 had the highest number of uncontested races (126) and 2018 had the fewest (29). The chart below shows the percentage of uncontested mayoral and city council races between 2015 and 2024.



Election coverage by office

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See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ This number does not include Santa Clarita, California. The members of the Santa Clarita City Council select one member as mayor each December.
  2. ↑ The mayor of Santa Clarita, California, is selected by the members of the Santa Clarita City Council each December.
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