The 2015 Memphis mayoral election took place on October 8, 2015 to elect 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 ...

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. The mayoral election coincided with elections for the thirteen seats on the Memphis City Council. The election was officially nonpartisan, with all candidates running together, regardless of party. Due to the 1991 ruling of U.S. District Judge Jerome Turner, there is no runoff allowed in citywide elections. Incumbent Democratic Mayor

A C Wharton A C Wharton Jr. (born August 17, 1944) is an American educator, politician, and attorney who served as the 63rd mayor of Memphis, Tennessee and previously mayor of Shelby County. He is the first African American to serve as Mayor of Shelby Count ...

ran for re-election to a second full term in office. He was defeated by Memphis City Councilman Jim Strickland, a fellow Democrat, who earned a plurality of the vote and became the first

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

mayor of Memphis in more than two decades.

Candidates

Democratic Party

Declared

* Harold Collins,

Memphis City Council The Memphis City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Memphis, Tennessee. It is made up of 13 members: 7 single-district members and 6 "super district" members. Council members are elected to four-year terms with a two-te ...

lor * Jim Strickland, Chairman of the

, incumbent Mayor * Mike Williams, President of the Memphis Police Association

Potential/Withdrew

* Steve Basar, Shelby County Commissioner * Carol Chumney, former State Representative, former Memphis City Councillor and candidate for Mayor in 2007 and 2009 *Justin Ford, Shelby County

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

and member of the

Ford family The family of Henry Ford is an American family from the U.S. state of Michigan, best known for their control of the Ford Motor Company automobile manufacturer, which was founded by Henry Ford in the early-twentieth century. Henry's grandson Willi ...

*Detric Golden, former

University of Memphis } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...

basketball player *James Harvey, former Shelby County Commissioner and candidate for Mayor in 2011 * Kenneth Whalum, minister, former School Board member, candidate for Mayor in 2011 and candidate for Mayor of Shelby County in 2014

Declined

* Edmund Ford Sr., Memphis City Councillor and candidate for Mayor in 2011 * Myron Lowery, Memphis City Councillor, former Mayor ''pro tempore'' and candidate for Mayor in 2009 *Jason Smith, State Senator and President of Smith Property Group

General Election

A C Wharton was first elected Mayor of Memphis in a 2009 special election following the resignation of Mayor

Willie Herenton Willie Wilbert Herenton (born April 23, 1940) is an American politician and a Civil Rights leader. He was elected as the first elected African-American Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. He was subsequently re-elected to an unprecedented five consecut ...

; he was elected to a full term in 2011. As mayor, Wharton oversaw the city's response to the 2009 recession and subsequent budget cuts. Wharton defended his record as mayor, but faced criticism from his challengers on Memphis' high crime rates, slow economic growth, and Wharton's benefits cuts to city workers. Strickland painted himself as a "law and order" candidate and promised to crack down on violent crime in the city, while Harold Collins called for a data-based approach to crime and for increased job training for Memphis residents. On Election Day, Strickland defeated Wharton by nearly twenty percentage points, winning a plurality of the vote.

References

External links

;Official campaign websites
Harold Collins for Mayor

James Harvey for Mayor

Mike Williams for Mayor
{{2015 United States elections 2015 Tennessee elections

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Government of Memphis, Tennessee