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Mayoral election in Indianapolis, Indiana (2019)

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2023
2015
2019 Indianapolis elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: February 8, 2019
Primary election: May 7, 2019
General election: November 5, 2019
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor and all 25 city council seats
Total seats up: 26 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Partisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2019

The city of Indianapolis, Indiana, held a general election for mayor on November 5, 2019. A primary was scheduled for May 7, 2019.

Incumbent Joseph Hogsett (D) announced on December 5, 2018, that he would seek re-election.[1] He faced five challengers in his bid for a second term: one Democrat, three Republicans, and a Libertarian. Although there are no term limits for mayor in Indianapolis, each of the three mayors prior to Hogsett served two four-year terms.

Indianapolis' mayor was one of 20 Democratic mayorships up for election in 2019, with Republicans holding seven mayorships up for election and independents holding four. Across the largest 100 cities by population at the start of 2019, there were 60 Democratic mayors, 28 Republican mayors, seven independent mayors, four mayors of unknown party affiliation, and one vacancy.

In addition to voting for mayor, residents of the city elected all 25 members of the city council on November 5, 2019. Click here for more information on those races. The filing deadline for this election was February 8, 2019, although independent candidates had until July 1 to file.


Indianapolis voter? Dates you need to know.
Primary ElectionMay 7, 2019
Candidate Filing DeadlineFebruary 8, 2019
Registration DeadlineApril 8, 2019
General ElectionNovember 5, 2019
Voting information
Primary TypeOpen
Polling place hours6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day.


Incumbent Joe Hogsett won election in the general election for Mayor of Indianapolis.

Election updates

Candidates

Note: The city of Indianapolis operates under a consolidated government with Marion County. There are 11 areas that are included towns under Indiana Code 36-3-1-7 sec. 7(a); Clermont, Crows Nest, Homecroft, Meridian Hills, North Crows Nest, Rocky Ripple, Warren Park, Williams Creek, Wynnedale, and Cumberland. These towns are subject to laws set by the government of Indianapolis. Four excluded towns—Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport, and Speedway—have more autonomy while still receiving some government services from Indianapolis. Residents in all 15 towns are able to vote for the mayor of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis City Council while also voting on their own governing bodies.[2][3]


General election

General election for Mayor of Indianapolis

Incumbent Joe Hogsett defeated James Merritt and Douglas McNaughton in the general election for Mayor of Indianapolis on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Joe Hogsett
Joe Hogsett (D)
 
71.6
 
109,087
Image of James Merritt
James Merritt (R)
 
26.9
 
40,906
Image of Douglas McNaughton
Douglas McNaughton (L) Candidate Connection
 
1.5
 
2,354
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
3

Total votes: 152,350
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Mayor of Indianapolis

Incumbent Joe Hogsett defeated Denise Paul Hatch in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Indianapolis on May 7, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Joe Hogsett
Joe Hogsett
 
83.9
 
29,111
Image of Denise Paul Hatch
Denise Paul Hatch
 
16.1
 
5,571

Total votes: 34,682
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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Mayor of Indianapolis

James Merritt defeated Christopher Moore and Felipe Rios in the Republican primary for Mayor of Indianapolis on May 7, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of James Merritt
James Merritt
 
82.8
 
14,910
Image of Christopher Moore
Christopher Moore
 
14.6
 
2,622
Image of Felipe Rios
Felipe Rios
 
2.7
 
486

Total votes: 18,018
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

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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.

Candidate survey responses

This section compares candidate responses to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. It includes questions that at least two candidates answered. To view candidates' full responses to the survey, click here.

Click the arrow next to each question to read the candidates' answers.

Campaign themes

Candidate survey

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Click here to fill out the survey.

Javontae Bibbs

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Tougher laws on hate crimes, building more half way houses for homeless and also cracking down on the crime we have here in the central Indianapolis.
The community as a whole I stand for we the people and all our rights we have the right to say no and yes.
Ronald Reagan he was a great president and came up with the R.I.C.O ACT.
Honest and trust and I would love to talk with the people in the community and see what it is I can do for them as well.....
There isn't anything I can't do plus im willing to listen to the people and carry out what I can on there behalf.
Making sure the city is being ran the right way with little to no corruption in between close doors.
Bringing back we the people and being the first young black man to become mayor In Indianapolis,IN And making this city independent so we can move as an independent city.
Lawn care services and it was my sister dad kept it all summer!
I froze up and was scared to talk to the female I bought her food and basically watched her eat because I use to not like to eat on dates for some odd reason.
To be honest I do not have a favorite Holiday but if so it would be valentines day I love seeing people happy.
Politics they're dirty then a coope house
Everything I mean people have always looked up to me figured I deserve it.
The beautiful circle city look and the people.
Homeless money jobs peace in the streets so on and ect.

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.

Douglas McNaughton

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a 55 year old Automation Engineer in Indianapolis, IN.

I am running for Mayor of Indianapolis as a Libertarian.

I have lived in Indianapolis since 1984. I grew up in Angola, Indiana in the countryside. Like everyone else in rural Indiana, I baled hay, picked corn and raspberries.

As an adult, I have went to college, received a degree in Automated Manufacturing and now work a job where I travel the world working on automated machinery. I have seen many different cultures and lived in the country and the city.

I am running for Mayor of Indianapolis for 3 basic reasons: I firmly believe that Indianapolis deserves to have real choices in whom they choose to run this city. I believe strongly in the old adage of teaching a man to fish, although I don't mind sharing the fish during the learning curve. I believe I can do a better job of improving the economic and social climate of this city than has been done in the past, because I believe in doing what works, not simply what a political party or existing organization would have me do.
  • Violent crime cannot be reduced by adding police officers or adding more laws. Violent crime must be addressed at the root causes of youth violence and black market propagation.
  • Infrastructure issues such as potholes have been ignored too long in our city for the sake of Legacy building projects. We need to repair our infrastructure first before adding to the cost of city upkeep.
  • Homelessness is once again a major problem downtown that has been simply brushed aside for too long. This must be addressed directly with people having a clear path to exit homelessness
We need more home grown businesses. Every large business today started in a small town. Walmart did not start in New York City. Microsoft was not started in Los Angeles. The city of Indianapolis needs to stop looking to spend taxpayer money to attract business to Indiana, we need to start growing our own. The city of Indianapolis needs to look for ways that current regulations are inhibiting the growth and development of these home grown businesses and move aside for them. This does not need to cost any taxpayer money, but would actually save money as fewer restrictions on business would require less enforcement. The city needs business growth for job growth, and it needs job growth for population growth, and it needs population growth so that taxes on each individual will not need to grow as well as we prepare our city for future. The Mayor should not try to build the Indianapolis of the future, but rather should encourage organic growth, so that the citizens of Indianapolis can decide and build that future city for themselves.
Larry Sharpe. Mr. Sharpe is a self made man from humble beginnings in New York, that has taken life experience and used it to further his family and his community. He believes in freedom and the ability of the individual to prevail in difficult circumstances, while carrying a positive attitude that prepares him for the next immediate challenge. https://www.larrysharpe.com/
Integrity and decisiveness. Serenity, courage and wisdom
I have training in system integration and experience with a wide variety of city governments. I believe that I can not only run the city better than it currently is, but put it on a path of self sustainability that future mayors will not be elected on their economic impact of basic city services.
I believe that the core responsibility is to be a manager of the city. The city has needs, and the mayor does not need to know how to fix roads, how to stop crime, or even how to help the homeless. He does, however absolutely must know how to find those people who do have this knowledge and appoint them to positions in the city where they can do the best in those positions. The mayor must recognize when something isn't working and change immediately, be it policy or a department head.
I believe that legacy building is what has our city in its present state. If I just left the city better off than it was before, or they simply said "He paid the bills," that would be plenty for me.
Man landed on the Moon. I was 5 years old and watched that and every moon landing.
McDonald's in Angola, Indiana, continuing into McDonald's at Purdue University. I worked for McDonald's for a total of 7 years.
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. by Robert Heinlein. I like this book because it describes a future society where people who are effectively trapped by circumstance find a way and the courage and fortitude to gain their real freedom.
Lazarus Long. He lived long enough to see everything in life he ever wanted to.
I was born with the need of an artificial leg. I have struggled to lead a normal life my whole life. I know struggle and know how to overcome. If I can get a degree, ride a motorcycle, and climb Mount Pilatus in Switzerland with one leg, I can be the mayor to succeed.
A mayor needs to be the voice for the people of his city. He needs to be in front of the camera when state issues impact the city, and needs to lead by example, and not simple just let things happen. The mayor, above all others in the city politics, need to be vocal and active on all actions that effect the city. The mayor needs to be the lightning rod that attracts business and people to the city. He is the spokesman when major events happen in the city. Most of all, he should lead by example, not simple let thing happen in the city without comment.
he Mayor of Indianapolis is the chief executive of both the city and the county. The Head of the Department of Public Safety, and the Police Chief are both offices that are appointed by the mayor and have a major impact in the city. With the continuing increase in violent crime in the city, these positions are more important than every. I will appoint people of competence to these and all positions that are appointed by the mayor. There will be no political reward positions in my administration.
The mayor is not a direct member of the city-county council, which is considered the legislative branch of the city government. The city does have deputy mayors, with responsibilities that vary from mayor to mayor. The mayor should set policy for his administration, and set the direction and tone for the city government. He should be responsible to the people and try to keep the council in check so that the city budget is maintained, and the infrastructure and other city responsibilities are maintained. The mayor should be the brake on the city-county council in the same way that the council should be a brake on the mayor, to see to it that the city government remains stable and solvent each fiscal year. I believe that the mayor of this election needs to focus on both violent crime and homelessness.
Indianapolis is one of the most diverse cities in the United States. There is no one defining thing that "is Indianapolis," rather it is a whole host of items that make Indianapolis a diverse and unique city. Indianapolis. It has all the neighborhood charm of a small town, while at the same time has world class museums, zoo, and sporting events, both professional and amateur that appeal to people of all ages and all walks of life. There is quite literally something for everyone. I want to keep it that way.
There is a huge division in the vision for the future of the city. Many people do not want the city to grow, but simply become a museum to accomplishments of the past. To glorify what we have and never change for future growth. Others seem to be eager to tear down everything that is Indianapolis as it stands so that their vision of the future can arrive as soon as possible. In my experience traveling the world for my career, I have seen that letting a city grow organically, neither tearing down the past nor inhibiting or rushing the future, seems to be the best path. Take every change as one step at a time, and complete tasks before rushing on to the next one. The city needs to take care of it's citizens first, and let business grow and take care of their future employees as they grow. I believe that the future of the city is one of self-sustenance, in a way that precludes the election of a new mayor to be a major impact in the growth and operation of the city.
Since the city is the Capital of the State Government, I feel that the city of Indianapolis should be best able to express the needs of the local governments to the state government. I feel that the mayor of the city should be a barometer for the state government as far as showing the impact of the state on the cities of Indiana.
I feel that the issues between the city and the federal government should pass through the buffer of the state government. If the federal government is directly impacting or interacting with the city government, I would tend to believe that it would be the sign of a problem.

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.

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

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.

Past elections

2015

See also: Indianapolis, Indiana municipal elections, 2015

The city of Indianapolis, Indiana, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. A partisan primary election 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 or minor party candidates was July 15, 2015.[5]

In the Republican primary election for mayor, Charles Brewer defeated Jocelyn-Tandy Adande, Terry Michael, Darrell Eugene Morris and Lawrence Byron Shouse. In the Democratic primary, Joseph Hogsett defeated Larry Vaughn.[6] Hogsett defeated Brewer and Samuel M. Carson (Write-in) in the general election. Incumbent Greg Ballard (R) did not run for re-election.[7][8]

Mayor of Indianapolis, General election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png 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
Green check mark transparent.pngCharles 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
Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph 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

About the city

See also: Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is a city in Marion County, Indiana. As of 2010, its population was 829,718.

City government

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis Indiana
Population 829,718 6,483,802
Land area (sq mi) 366 35,825
Race and ethnicity**
White 61.1% 83.3%
Black/African American 28.4% 9.4%
Asian 3.4% 2.3%
Native American 0.3% 0.2%
Pacific Islander 0% 0%
Other (single race) 3.4% 2.2%
Multiple 3.3% 2.5%
Hispanic/Latino 10.4% 6.9%
Education
High school graduation rate 85.9% 88.8%
College graduation rate 30.9% 26.5%
Income
Median household income $48,031 $56,303
Persons below poverty level 18% 13.4%
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: Indiana and Indiana elections, 2019
USA Indiana location map.svg

Partisan data

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

Presidential voting pattern

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

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

Indiana Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas  •  Seventeen 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 D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate 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
House D D D R R D D D D D D D D R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Indiana quick stats

More Indiana coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for Indiana
 IndianaU.S.
Total population:6,612,768316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):35,8263,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:84.2%73.6%
Black/African American:9.2%12.6%
Asian:1.9%5.1%
Native American:0.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:6.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:87.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:24.1%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$49,255$53,889
Persons below poverty level:18.4%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 Indiana.
**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

Five of 92 Indiana counties—5 percent—are Pivot Counties. 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.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Delaware County, Indiana 13.43% 3.12% 14.98%
LaPorte County, Indiana 6.33% 12.57% 22.04%
Perry County, Indiana 18.55% 11.59% 22.84%
Porter County, Indiana 6.59% 3.90% 7.20%
Vigo County, Indiana 14.97% 0.86% 15.83%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Indiana with 56.9 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 37.8 percent. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) was Trump's running mate. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Indiana voted Republican 83.33 percent of the time and Democratic 16.67 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Indiana voted Republican four times and Democratic once when it voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Indiana. 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.[9][10]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 28 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 32.8 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 25 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 32.9 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 72 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 25.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 75 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 34.3 points. Trump won six districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

See also

Indianapolis, Indiana Indiana Municipal government Other local coverage
Indiana state seal.png
Seal of Indiana.png
Municipal Government Final.png
Local Politics Image.jpg


External links

Footnotes