Mayoral election in Memphis, Tennessee (2023)
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| 2023 Memphis elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: July 20, 2023 |
| General election: October 5, 2023 Runoff election: November 16, 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 |
The city of Memphis, Tennessee, held a nonpartisan general election for mayor on October 5, 2023. The filing deadline for this election was July 20, 2023. Mayor Jim Strickland (D) was term-limited.
Twelve candidates have declared their candidacy as of June, 2023, including six Democrats, three Republicans, and two independents.[1] While the election is officially nonpartisan, many candidates (and officeholders) are affiliated with a political party.
The candidates who who received the most media attention are:
- Joe Brown (I), former Shelby County Criminal Court judge and host of the reality court show ‘’Judge Joe Brown’’;[3][4]
- Frank Colvett (R); Memphis City councilmember and council chairman;[6]Cite error: Closing
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- Michelle McKissack (D); member of the Shelby County Board of Education and a former broadcast journalist;[9][10]
- Van Turner (D), former Shelby County commissioner and president of the NAACP Memphis branch, and;[11][12]
- Paul Young, CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission.[13]
According to University of Memphis professor Otis Sanford, the issues of crime and police conduct had an outsized effect in the October election. “[...] The race for mayor will come down [to] who has the clearer and most convincing message — not just about fighting crime, but changing the culture in the police department in light of the police killing of Tyre Nichols,” Sanford said.[14]
Memphis, the 27th-largest city in the U.S., has had a Democratic mayor since 1992. That election, Willie Herenton (also a candidate for mayor this year) defeated then-incumbent Richard Hackett by 146 votes.[15] Herenton was elected to five consecutive terms before he resigned in 2009. Myron Lowery served as mayor pro tem for three months before losing to A. C. Wharton in a special election to fill the rest of Herenton’s term. Wharton served until 2015, when he lost to Jim Strickland, the current incumbent.[16][17][18]
As of June 2023, the partisan breakdown of the mayors of the 100 largest U.S. cities was 62 Democrats, 26 Republicans, three independents, and seven nonpartisans. Two mayors' partisan affiliations were unknown. Based on 2020 population estimates, 76.1% of the population of the top 100 cities lived in cities with Democratic mayors, and 16.2% lived in cities with Republican mayors at the start of 2022.
The Memphis mayoral election was one of 40 mayoral elections Ballotpedia is covering in 2023. These include all mayoral elections in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population and all mayoral elections in state capitals.
Memphis also held elections for county clerk and all 13 seats on the city council in 2023.
Elections
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Candidates and results
General election
General election for Mayor of Memphis
The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Memphis on October 5, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Paul Young (Nonpartisan)  | 27.6 | 24,420 |
| Floyd Bonner (Nonpartisan) | 22.5 | 19,900 | ||
 | Willie Herenton (Nonpartisan) | 21.5 | 18,994 | |
| Van Turner (Nonpartisan) | 21.3 | 18,784 | ||
| JW Gibson (Nonpartisan) | 2.5 | 2,176 | ||
| Michelle McKissack (Nonpartisan) | 1.6 | 1,437 | ||
| Joe Brown (Nonpartisan) | 1.2 | 1,030 | ||
 | Karen Camper (Nonpartisan) | 0.7 | 591 | |
| James Harvey (Nonpartisan) | 0.4 | 325 | ||
 | Brandon Price (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 129 | |
 | Carnita Atwater (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 122 | |
| Tekeva Shaw (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 95 | ||
| Jennings Bernard (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 89 | ||
 | Reggie Hall (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 77 | |
| Kendra Calico (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 58 | ||
| Derek Winn (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 57 | ||
| Justina Ragland (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 53 | ||
| Total votes: 88,337 | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Frank Colvett Jr. (Nonpartisan)
- George Flinn Jr. (Nonpartisan)
- David Winston (Nonpartisan)
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Tennessee elections, 2023
January 24, 2023
March 14, 2023
June 15, 2023
August 3, 2023
October 5, 2023
November 16, 2023
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.
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Reggie Hall is a leader with a proven track record of community service, leadership and a strong dedication to his native city of Memphis. As a resident of South Memphis and a graduate of Hamilton High School, Reggie’s values were instilled by his mother, who dedicated her life to service. Reggie has continued this family tradition of service by working in the fields of mental health, rehabilitation and transportation."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Memphis in 2023.
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Paul Young is a native Memphian who currently leads major economic and community development efforts as President and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission. Growing up in Oakhaven, Paul learned at an early age that there were two Memphises – one ripe with opportunity and prosperity, and another lacking resources and safe neighborhoods. Determined to bridge this divide, Paul pursued a career focused on building a Memphis that works for every resident. Leading the DMC and the City’s Division of Housing and Community Development, Paul applied a holistic approach to unifying the city through public and private partnerships and targeted investments in our future. Paul developed his passion for a service-driven life through the selfless example of his parents Bishop William and Pastor Dianne Young. Their character and willingness to stand and confront the challenges facing Memphis shaped Paul’s approach toward servant leadership. Building a better Memphis requires a mayor who is accessible and responsive to your needs, and Paul is committed to standing in the gap and shouldering the burdens of others. Paul is running for mayor to build a Memphis that every child can one day be proud of and feel welcomed. "
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Memphis in 2023.
Mayoral partisanship
Memphis has a Democratic mayor. As of February 2026, 67 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 22 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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About the city
- See also: Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 633,104.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Memphis 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 while 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 Memphis, Tennessee | ||
|---|---|---|
| Memphis | Tennessee | |
| Population | 633,104 | 6,910,840 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 294 | 41,232 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 27.9% | 76.7% |
| Black/African American | 64.4% | 16.7% |
| Asian | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| Native American | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.1% |
| Other (single race) | 3.5% | 1.5% |
| Multiple | 2.2% | 2.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.4% | 5.6% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 86.5% | 88.2% |
| College graduation rate | 26.6% | 28.2% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $41,864 | $54,833 |
| Persons below poverty level | 24.6% | 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. | ||
See also
| Memphis, Tennessee | Tennessee | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Easy Campaign Finance Portal, "Shelby County, TN," accessed February 26, 2023
- ↑ Action News 5, "Shelby County Sheriff announces candidacy for Memphis mayor," October 26,2022
- ↑ Tennessee House of Representatives, "HOUSE RESOLUTION 106," accessed February 26, 2023
- ↑ https://dailymemphian.com/article/31875/new-democrats-memphis-mayor-forum-van-turner-paul-young-joe-brown Daily Memphian, "Three Memphis mayoral contenders clash at early campaign forum," October 27, 2022]
- ↑ U.S. News, "House Minority Leader Karen Camper to Run for Memphis Mayor," November 11, 2023
- ↑ City of Memphis, "District 2 - Frank Colvett," accessed February 26, 2023
- ↑ abc24, "Former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton announces bid for 2023, February 6, 2023
- ↑ Tennessee Bar Association, "Memphis’ First Black Mayor Plans to Challenge Strickland for Old Seat - Articles," April 6, 2018
- ↑ Memphis Shelby County Schools, "Michelle Robinson McKissack," accessed February 26, 2023
- ↑ Twitter, "Michelle McKissack," January 26, 2023
- ↑ NAACP Memphis, "The President," accessed February 26, 2023
- ↑ Daily Memphian, "Turner opens campaign for Memphis mayor where Forrest statue once stood," September 1, 2023
- ↑ Paul Young for Memphis Mayor, "Paul Young for Memphis," accessed February 26, 2023
- ↑ ABC24, "Opinion | Memphis mayoral race to be about 'substance over style'," February 3, 2023
- ↑ Memphis, the City Magazine, "One Mayor’s Memphis," November 6, 2007
- ↑ Memphis Daily News, "Herenton-Lowery Transition Under Way in Choppy Waters," accessed February 26, 2023
- ↑ Memphis Flyer, "It’s Wharton and “One Memphis," October 15, 2009
- ↑ Commercial Appeal, "Strickland defeats Wharton in Memphis mayor’s race," October 9, 2015
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