Beginning shortly after the city's incorporation as a city in 1846, elections have been held in the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Manchester, New Hampshire. The following article provides information on the elections for mayor in the city during the 21st century.

Election laws and history

The city of Manchester, New Hampshire, held its first mayoral election in

1846 Events January–March * January 5 – The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Country with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. * January 13 – The Milan–Venice railway' ...

. The city's mayoral elections are currently are nonpartisan, a change which was adopted before the 1997 election. While, prior to 1997, elections had long been partisan, there had been stretches previous to 1999 in which the city's mayoral elections had been nonpartisan, including the stretch of four elections held from 1953 through 1959. Under current election laws, to be eligible to be elected mayor, one must be a resident of the city for at least one year prior to filing for the office of mayor. Elections throughout the 20th century have been for two-years terms, as has been the case in the city since the 1880 election. There are no

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...

2001

The 2001 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 6, 2001, to elect the

of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of

Robert A. Baines Robert A. Baines (born 1946) is a former mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. He served in that office from 2000 to 2006. A Democrat, he was first elected in November 1999, defeating incumbent Republican Raymond Wieczorek. Manchester mayoral electi ...

. The election was formally nonpartisan. Before the general election, a nonpartisan

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

was held on September 18, 2001, to determine the two candidates who would appear on the general election ballot. The general and primary elections both coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen and welfare commissioner. The general election also coincided with a school board election and two ballot questions.

Candidates

, incumbent mayor since 2000 *Richard Girard,

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

since 1998 *Joseph Kelly Levasseur

Results

;Primary election ;General election

2003

The 2003 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 4, 2003, to elect the

of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of

to a third consecutive term. The election was formally nonpartisan. The election coincided with that for the Manchester Board of Aldermen. Before the general election, a nonpartisan

was held on September 16, 2003, to determine the two candidates who would appear on the general election ballot.

Candidates

, incumbent mayor since 2000 * Jane Beaulieu *Carlos Gonzalez *Robert A. Howe *Jeff Kassel * Robert F. Shaw, former mayor (1984–1987), candidate for the Republican nomination in the

1988 New Hampshire gubernatorial election The 1988 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1988. Incumbent Governor John Sununu did not run for re-election, and was succeeded by U.S. Representative Judd Gregg. , this marks the most recent time that Republicans w ...

, Democratic nominee in the 1995 mayoral election, candidate in the 1997 mayoral election *"D.R." Soucy While the election was formally nonpartisan, some candidates had publicly-known political affiliations. Baines and Shaw were both Democrats. Carlos Gonzalez was a Republican. Gonzalez was the first

hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

mayoral candidate in the city's history.

Results

;Primary election ;General election

2005

The 2005 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 8, 2005, to elect the

of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw

Frank Guinta Frank Christopher Guinta (born September 26, 1970) is an American businessman and politician who represented New Hampshire's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013 and 2015 to 2017. A member of t ...

unseat the incumbent mayor

. The election was formally nonpartisan. Before the general election, a nonpartisan

was held on September 20, 2005, to determine the two candidates who would appear on the general election ballot. The general and primary elections both coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen.

Candidates

, incumbent mayor since 2000 *

since 2002 *Jeff Kassel

Results

;Primary election ;General election

2007

The 2007 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 6, 2007, to elect the

of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw incumbent mayor

win reelection. The election was formally nonpartisan. Before the general election, a nonpartisan

was held on September 18, 2007, to determine the two candidates who would appear on the general election ballot. The general and primary elections both coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen.

Candidates

* Jane Beaulieu, member of the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...

since 2007 and candidate for mayor in 2003 *Caitlin Curran *Tom Donovan, former chair of the Manchester School Board Finance Committee *Katherine Gatsas *

, incumbent mayor since 2006 *Joseph Kelly Levasseur

Campaign

Shortly after announcing his candidacy, Donovan received the endorsement of

Chris Dodd Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the longest-serving senator in Connecticut's history. H ...

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. In the general election, Donovan was elected by Teamsters Local 633.

Results

;Primary election ;General election

2009

The 2009 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 3, 2009, to elect the

of Manchester, New Hampshire. Alderman and State Senator Ted Gatsas defeated Alderman Mark Roy by a margin of 56% to 43% in the November 3 general election. Before the general election, a nonpartisan

was held on September 15, 2009, to determine the two candidates that would appear on the general election ballot. The primary and general elections both coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen.

Background

Manchester's mayoral elections are non-partisan, occur every two years, and there are no term limits. The incumbent

, had served since 2006. Guinta stated in the spring of 2009 that he would not run for reelection and subsequently announced that he would run to represent New Hampshire's 1st congressional district in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

challenging incumbent

Carol Shea-Porter Carol Shea-Porter (born December 2, 1952) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who is the former member of the United States House of Representatives for . She held the seat from 2007 to 2011, 2013 to 2015, and 2017 to 201 ...

Candidates

;Ran *

Ted Gatsas Theodore L. Gatsas (born May 22, 1950), known as Ted Gatsas, is an American politician and member of the Republican party who had served as Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire from 2010 to 2018. He was a member of the New Hampshire Senate, repres ...

, current

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

and

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

*Richard Komi, current

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

*Glenn Ouellette, current Public-access television producer *Mark Roy, current Alderman for Ward 1 *Bobby Stephen, former State Senator ;Declined *Tom Donovan, 2007 mayoral candidate and former school board member (endorsed Mark Roy) *Michael Lopez, current Alderman At-Large

Results

;Primary election ;General election

2011

The 2011 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 8, 2011, to elect the

of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw incumbent mayor

win reelection. The election coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen.

Candidates

, incumbent mayor since 2010 *Chris Herbert, ward 4 representative to the Manchester Board of School Committee and 1999 candidate in the Republican primary for New Hampshire State Senate district 20

Results

2013

The 2013 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 5, 2003, to elect the

of Manchester, New Hampshire. Incumbent mayor

won reelection to a third consecutive term. He defeated city

Patrick Arnold. While the election was formally nonpartisan, Arnold was a known

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and Gatsas was a known Republican. Before the general election, a nonpartisan

was held on September 17, 2013, to determine the two candidates that would appear on the general election ballot. The primary and general elections both coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen.

Candidates

*Patrick Arnold, alderman since 2009 *

, incumbent mayor since 2010 *Glenn RJ. Ouellette, perennial candidate

Results

;Primary election ;General election

2015

The 2015 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 3, 2015, to elect the

of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of

, a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, to his fourth consecutive term. The election was incredibly narrow, with Gatsas winning by a mere 85 votes. The election was formally nonpartisan. Prior to the general election, a nonpartisan

was held on September 15, 2015, to select the two candidates who appeared on the ballot in the general election.

Candidates

*Patrick Arnold, former city

(2009–2014) and 2013 mayoral candidate *

Joyce Craig Joyce Craig is an American politician serving as the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. She is the first female mayor of the city, having been elected in 2017. Biography Early elected career Craig's first political campaign came in 2007, when s ...

, city alderman *

, incumbent mayor *Glenn RJ. Ouellette, perennial candidate *Alibaba Shaikh While the election was formally nonpartisan, numerous candidates had publicly-known political affiliations. For instance, Arnold was a known

and Gatsas was a known Republican.

Results

;Primary election ;General election The original unofficial count saw Gatsas leading by a 75-vote margin. After a

recount An election recount is a repeat tabulation of votes cast in an election that is used to determine the correctness of an initial count. Recounts will often take place if the initial vote tally during an election is extremely close. Election reco ...

, Gatsas was found to have indeed won the election.

2017

The 2019 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 7, 2019, to elect the

of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the election of

, a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, to her first term, unseating Republican incumbent

. Craig became the city's first female mayor. The election was formally nonpartisan. Prior to the general election, a nonpartisan

was held on September 19, 2017, to select the two candidates who appeared on the ballot in the general election.

Background

Though Manchester's municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates tend to associate themselves with either the

, a member of the Republican Party, had been mayor since 2010. Former Manchester

, a member of the Democratic Party, had previously challenged Gatsas in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

. In the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kirib ...

, Democratic nominee

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

received around 3,000 more votes than Republican nominee

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

in Manchester.

Campaign

Gatsas announced in June 2017 that he would seek a fifth term. Craig also filed her candidacy in June 2017. Joshua Dallaire and perennial candidate Glenn Ouellette also ran. Craig and Gatsas placed first and second respectively in the

and advanced to the general election. Craig received support from Democratic politicians including Joe Biden,

Eric Garcetti Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles from 2013 until 2022. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was first elected in the 2013 Los An ...

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...

and Tim Ryan.

Results

;Primary election ;General election

Aftermath

New Hampshire's

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

s Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan praised Craig's election as Manchester's first female mayor. Craig was sworn in on January 2, 2018. Gatsas was elected to the Executive Council of New Hampshire in 2018 and re-elected in 2020.

2019

The 2019 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 7, 2019, to elect the

of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of

, a member of the

. Prior to the general election, a nonpartisan

was held on September 17, 2019, to select the two candidates to be included on the general election ballot.

Background

Though Manchester's municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates tend to associate themselves with either the

. Victoria Sullivan, a member of the Republican Party, had been a two-term member of the

. Incumbent mayor and former Manchester

, a member of the Democratic Party, had previously unsuccessfully challenged former mayor

and won against him in a 2017 rematch. In the

, Democratic nominee

received around 3,000 more votes than Republican nominee

in Manchester.

Campaign

Craig announced in April 2019 that she would seek a second term. Sullivan also filed her candidacy in April 2019. Joshua Dallaire and Independent perennial candidate Glenn Ouellette also ran. Craig and Sullivan placed first and second respectively in the

and advanced to the general election. Craig received support from Democratic politicians including U.S. Representative Chris Pappas,

Jeanne Shaheen, and

Maggie Hassan.

Results

;Primary election ;General election

2021

The 2021 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021. This election saw incumbent mayor

, a member of the

, re-elected to a third term. Members of the Board of Aldermen, Board of School Committee, Ward Moderators, Clerks and Selectmen were also elected on November 2 in coinciding elections.

Background

Though Manchester's municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates tend to associate themselves with either the

. Victoria Sullivan, a member of the Republican Party, had been a two-term member of the

and previously ran in the 2019 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election. Richard Girard, a member of the Republican Party, is a former alderman and former at-large representative on the Manchester School District school board who previously ran for mayor in 2001. Incumbent mayor and former Manchester

, a member of the Democratic Party, had previously unseated former mayor

in a 2017 rematch after to losing to him in 2015. She had won re-election to a second term in the 2019 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election against Victoria Sullivan. In the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received 29,464 votes in Manchester, while the Republican ticket of

and

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...

received 22,127 and the

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

ticket of Jo Jorgensen and

Spike Cohen Jeremy "Spike" Cohen (born June 28, 1982) is an American libertarian political activist, entrepreneur, and podcaster. He was the Libertarian Party's nominee for vice president of the United States in 2020, serving as Jo Jorgensen's running m ...

received 1,015 votes.

Candidates

Declared

, incumbent mayor * Victoria Sullivan, former

New Hampshire state representative The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative districts ...

and 2019 mayoral candidate *Richard Girard, radio host, former

, former school board member, 2001 mayoral candidate

Declined

, New Hampshire Executive councilor and former mayor

Campaign

Victoria Sullivan announced a run for mayor in April 2021. Craig also announced in April 2021 that she would seek a third term. Richard Girard, who was a former alderman and former at-large representative on the Manchester School District school board announced he would be running in April 2021 as well. After the primary, third-place finisher Richard Girard requested a recount.

Endorsements

Results

;Primary election ;General election

2023

The 2023 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election will be held on November 7, 2023. The incumbent mayor

, a member of the

, announce that she will not seek re-election. Members of the Board of Aldermen, Board of School Committee, Ward Moderators, Clerks and Selectmen will also be elected on November 7 in coinciding elections.

Background

Though Manchester's municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates tend to associate themselves with either the

. Jay Ruais, a member of the Republican Party, is serving as an infantry officer for the

New Hampshire Army National Guard The New Hampshire Army National Guard is a federal military reserve force of the Army National Guard of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Along with the New Hampshire Air National Guard, it is an element of the New Hampshire National Guard. As a ...

and had previously worked as chief of staff for former U.S. Representative

. Incumbent mayor

, a member of the Democratic Party, had previously unseated former mayor

in a 2017 rematch after losing to him in 2015. She had won re-election to a third term in the 2021 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election against Victoria Sullivan. Craig, who had previously been considered a likely candidate for Governor of New Hampshire, had been subject to criticism from business owners and residents after the formation of homeless encampments on Pine Street.

Candidates

Declared

* Kevin Cavanaugh (Democrat), alderman for ward 1 (2015–present) and former state senator from the 16th district * Jay Ruais (Republican),

officer and former chief of staff for then- U.S. Representative

* Will Stewart (Democrat), alderman for ward 2 * June Trisciani (Democrat), at-large alderman

Publicly expressed interest

* Jim O'Connell, at-large Manchester School Board member

Potential

* Dan O'Neil (Democratic), former alderman

Declined

(Democratic), incumbent mayor *

(Republican),

New Hampshire Executive Council The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire (commonly known as the Governor's Council) is the executive body of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check on the gover ...

or from the 4th district and former

mayor of Manchester This is a list of the Lord Mayors of the City of Manchester in the North West of England. Not to be confused with the Directly elected Greater Manchester Mayor. The Current and 124th Lord Mayor is Cllr Donna Ludford, Labour who has served Si ...

''(endorsed Ruais)'' * Richard Girard (Republican), radio host, former

, former school board member, and 2001 and 2021 mayoral candidate * Victoria Sullivan (Republican), former

and 2019 and 2021 mayoral candidate

Endorsements

References

{{reflist 21st 21st century in New Hampshire