The 2023 Memphis mayoral election took place on October 5, 2023, to elect the next mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. Incumbent Jim Strickland was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term in office. The election used the plurality vote system, with no possibility of a runoff. The election was officially non-partisan, but several candidates were affiliated with political parties.
Municipal government official Paul Young won the election, with all other major candidates conceding on the night of the election. Young prevailed with a low plurality of the vote against numerous other candidates, including Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, former mayor Willie Herenton, and former Shelby County commission chair Van Turner.
Background Ordinance 5823 Memphis law states that mayors can only serve two terms. However, the Memphis City Council voted to put an ordinance on the ballot that, if passed, would extend the limit to three terms. Incumbent mayor Jim Strickland expressed interest in running for a third term if Memphis voters approved the ordinance. The ordinance was decided on August 4, 2022, the same day as Tennessee's regularly scheduled primary elections. Voters overwhelmingly rejected it, keeping the two-term limit in place and barring Strickland from seeking re-election.
Memphis Ordinance 5823 Choice Votes % Against52,582 66.27% For26,759 33.73% Total votes79,341100.00%
Early voting Early voting ran from September 16, 2023, to September 30, 2023. Turnout was the highest since 2007, with 57,951 votes being submitted. This compares to 52,718 early votes in 2019 and 51,840 in 2015.
Candidates Declared The following 17 candidates were on the ballot: Carnita Atwater, community organizer and Democratic candidate for Governor of Tennessee in 2022 (I) Jennings Bernard, private probation company owner (I) Floyd Bonner, Shelby County Sheriff (D) Joe Brown, former host of Judge Joe Brown and former Shelby County Criminal Court judge (I) Kendra Calico, hunger relief charity president (I) Karen Camper, Minority Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives (D) J.W. Gibson, former Shelby County commissioner Reggie Hall, life coach James Harvey, former Democratic chair of the Shelby County Commission (R) Willie Herenton, former mayor (D) Michelle McKissack, chair of the Shelby County Board of Education (D) Brandy Price, activist (D) Justina Ragland Tekeva Shaw, life coach Van Turner, former chair of the Shelby County Commission (D) Derek Winn, bakery assistant (I) Paul Young, president and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission and former director of the Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development (D)
Withdrawn Frank Colvett, city councilor (R); withdrew July 27, 2023
Endorsements
Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin FloydBonner JoeBrown KarenCamper FrankColvett J.W.Gibson WillieHerenton MichelleMcKissack VanTurner PaulYoung UndecidedHart ResearchHart ResearchSept. 5-7 2023 -± 5%19%4%1% -5%13%3%9%20%23%Emerson CollegeEmerson CollegeAugust 11–13, 2023600 (LV)± 3.9%10%10%≤1% -5%16%3%7%14%26%HIT StrategiesHIT StrategiesMay 2023400 (LV)± 4.9%9%4%1%4%1%13%2%9%8%48%Caissa Public StrategyCaissa Public StrategyMay 2023600 (LV)± 4.0%15%9%3%3%3%15%6%17%8%21%Caissa Public StrategyCaissa Public StrategyFebruary 20231,000 (LV)± 4.7%15%3%4%3%2%14%4%16%12%13%
Campaign finance +2022-2023 Campaign Finance ReportingCandidateTotal ReceiptsTotal DisbursementsCash on HandLoans OutstandingFloyd Bonner$757,346$600,102$157,244$34,951Karen Camper$125,567$109,716$15,851$4,500Frank Colvett$157,450$125,924$31,526$0J.W. Gibson$401,473$398,380$3,093$300,000Willie Herenton$105,293$54,652$50,641$0Michelle McKissack$155,957$133,434$22,523$25,000Van Turner$564,435$450,790$133,645$0Paul Young$1,059,250$855,283$203,967$0
Results
Notes
References
External links Official campaign websites Floyd Bonner (D) for Mayor
Karen Camper (D) for Mayor Frank Colvett (R) for Mayor J.W. Gibson for Mayor Willie Herenton (D) for Mayor
Van Turner (D) for Mayor Paul Young (D) for Mayor