Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2022)
Twenty-four of the 100 largest U.S. cities held mayoral elections in 2022. Eleven state capitals held mayoral elections in 2022, including eight capitals that fell outside of the top 100 cities.
Heading into 2022, the mayors of 63 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party. Republicans held 28 mayoral offices, independents held four, and four mayors were nonpartisan. One mayor's partisan affiliation was unknown. Mayoral offices changed partisan control in four cities in the 2022 elections, resulting in no net change in the number of offices held by Republicans and Democrats. Ballotpedia was unable to determine the partisan affiliation of one mayor elected to succeed an independent incumbent.
- In Henderson, Nevada, Michelle Romero (R) was elected to succeed outgoing mayor Debra March (D) on June 14, winning the primary outright with 76% of the vote.
- In Anaheim, California, Ashleigh Aitken (D) defeated Acting Mayor Trevor O'Neil (R) and two other candidates on November 8, 2022. Former mayor Harry Sidhu (R) resigned in May 2022.
- In Chula Vista, California, John McCann (R) defeated Ammar Campa-Najjar (D) in the November 8 election to succeed term-limited mayor Mary Salas (D).
- In North Las Vegas, Nevada, Pamela Goynes-Brown (D) defeated Patricia Spearman (D) in the election to succeed outgoing mayor John J. Lee (R) on November 8, 2022.[1]
Once mayors elected in 2022 assumed office, Democrats held 63 top-100 mayoral offices, Republicans held 28, independents held three, and nonpartisan mayors held four. Two mayors' partisan affiliations were unknown.
At the beginning of 2022, the mayors of 38 state capitals were affiliated with the Democratic Party, six were Republicans, one was independent, two were nonpartisan, and the partisan affiliation of three state capital mayors was unknown. Ballotpedia was unable to determine the partisan affiliation of one state capital mayor who defeated a Republican incumbent in 2022, leaving the post-election breakdown of state capital mayors at 38 Democratic mayors, five Republican mayors, one independent mayor, two nonpartisan mayors, and four mayors with unknown partisan affiliation.
Of the top 100 cities and state capitals that held elections in 2022, four held partisan elections, and the rest held nonpartisan elections. In cities where mayoral elections are nonpartisan, 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.
On this page you will find:
- Tracking mayoral party affiliation in the top 100 cities
- Top-100 mayoral elections in 2022
- State capital mayoral elections in 2022
- Mayoral partisanship: 2016-2022
- Battleground elections
- Mayors of the 100 largest cities
Tracking mayoral party affiliation in the top 100 cities
Heading into 2022, the mayors of 63 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party. Republicans held 28 mayoral offices, independents held four, and five mayors were nonpartisan. One mayor's partisan affiliation was unknown.[2]
The following top 100 cities saw a change in mayoral partisan affiliation in 2022:
- Henderson, Nevada: Michelle Romero (R) was elected to succeed outgoing mayor Debra March (D) on June 14, winning the primary outright with 76% of the vote.
- Anaheim, California: Ashleigh Aitken (D) defeated Acting Mayor Trevor O'Neil (R) and two other candidates on November 8, 2022. Former mayor Harry Sidhu (R) resigned in May 2022.
- Chula Vista, California: John McCann (R) defeated Ammar Campa-Najjar (D) in the November 8 election to succeed term-limited mayor Mary Salas (D).
- North Las Vegas, Nevada: Pamela Goynes-Brown (D) defeated Patricia Spearman (D) in the election to succeed outgoing mayor John J. Lee (R) on November 8, 2022.[1]
Once mayors elected in 2022 assumed office, Democrats held 63 top-100 mayoral offices, Republicans held 28, independents held three, and nonpartisan mayors held four. Two mayors' partisan affiliations were unknown.
Note: Ballotpedia used 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.
Top-100 mayoral elections in 2022
Mayoral elections were held in 24 of the 100 largest U.S. cities in 2022. The following table shows the results of those elections:
The mayor of Santa Clarita, California, is selected by the members of the Santa Clarita City Council each December.[3] Councilmembers selected Jason Gibbs (R) as mayor on December 13, 2022.[4] Gibbs succeeded Laurene Weste (R).
Once mayors elected in 2022 assumed office, Democrats held 63 top-100 mayoral offices, Republicans held 28, independents held three, and nonpartisan mayors held four. Two mayors' partisan affiliations were unknown.
State capital mayoral elections in 2022
Eleven state capitals held mayoral elections in 2022, including eight capitals that fell outside of the top 100 cities. As of 2022, 32 state capitals fell outside of the top 100 U.S. cities by population. The following table shows state capital mayoral elections that occurred in 2022.
Once mayors elected in 2022 assumed office, the mayors of 38 state capitals were affiliated with the Democratic Party, five were Republicans, one was independent, and two were nonpartisan. The partisan affiliation of four state capital mayors was unknown.
Mayoral partisanship: 2016-2022
The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of mayors of the top 100 cities at the start of each year since 2016.
Battleground elections
Ballotpedia covered 32 mayoral elections in 2022. This included 24 mayoral elections in the 100 largest U.S. cities and eight state capitals that did not fall into the top 100 cities.
Click below to expand summaries of key 2022 mayoral battleground elections.
Mayors of the 100 largest cities
To view a list of the current mayors of the top 100 U.S. cities by population, click here.
See also
- Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2021)
- Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2020)
- Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2019)
- Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2018)
- Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2017)
- Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2016)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lee was elected as a Democrat and switched parties in 2021.
- ↑ In 2021, 28 of the top 100 cities held mayoral elections, and two offices changed partisan control: one as a result of an election, and one as the result of a mayor switching parties. Once mayors elected in 2021 assumed office, the mayors of 64 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party, 27 were Republicans, four were independent, four were nonpartisan, and one was unknown. Ahead of the 2022 election cycle, Ballotpedia updated our list of top 100 cities based on data from the 2020 census, swapping out Birmingham, Alabama, which had a Democratic mayor at the time, and San Bernardino, California, with a Republican mayor, for Santa Clarita, California, with a Republican mayor, and Spokane, Washington, with a Republican mayor.
- ↑ City of Santa Clarita, "City Council," accessed December 14, 2022
- ↑ KHTS, "Jason Gibbs Selected As Santa Clarita Mayor For 2023," December 13, 2022
- ↑ Community Impact, "Election Q&A: Meet the candidates running for Austin mayor," October 18, 2022
- ↑ Axios, "Five questions with Austin mayoral candidate Celia Israel," October 12, 2022
- ↑ Austin Monitor, "Mayoral candidate Israel shares housing platform," June 23, 2022
- ↑ Celia Israel 2022 campaign website, "MOBILITY," accessed December 5, 2022
- ↑ Axios, "Five questions with Austin mayoral candidate Kirk Watson," October 17, 2022
- ↑ Kirk Watson 2022 campaign website, "Housing," accessed December 5, 2022
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 KXAN, "Watch Austin mayor debate: Celia Israel, Kirk Watson discuss affordability, transportation, city’s future," December 1, 2022
- ↑ KXAN, "‘Very consequential’: Meet the candidates for Austin mayor," October 24, 2022
- ↑ KUT, "Austin’s next mayor will serve two years, not the usual four," October 19, 2022
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Bass, Karen," accessed May 16, 2022
- ↑ YouTube, "Get It Done," May 9, 2022
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Caruso," accessed May 16, 2022
- ↑ Rick Caruso's campaign website, "Meet Rick Caruso," accessed May 16, 2022
- ↑ YouTube, "Faith, Family and Community," February 15, 2022
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Rick Caruso changes registration to Democrat as he weighs a run for L.A. mayor," January 24, 2022
- ↑ The New York Times, "Rick Caruso and Karen Bass head to a runoff in the Los Angeles mayor’s race.," June 8, 2022
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Axios, "Why L.A. mayor’s race matters," May 29, 2022
- ↑ Wisconsin Public Radio, "Johnson, Donovan advance to general election in Milwaukee mayoral race," February 15, 2022
- ↑ Urban Milwaukee, "Johnson Ceremonially Sworn In As Mayor," December 23, 2021
- ↑ PolitiFact, "'Republican Bob Donovan' has 'run as a Republican time and again,'" March 11, 2016
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee mayoral candidates spar in first public appearance since Tuesday primary," February 20, 2022
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee mayoral candidates vie for rare open seat. Here's what you should know." December 29, 2021
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