DemDaily: The Final Mayoral Races of 2024!
October 16, 2024
Thirty-four of the country's 100 largest cities have or are holding mayoral elections in 2024. While the municipal contests may have been lost in the shadow of the presidential election, their outcome may influence the outcome of the top of the ticket -- particularly in battleground states.
| While a majority of mayoral elections are nonpartisan, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party. As of April 2024, the mayors of 63 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party. Republicans held 25 mayoral offices, Libertarians held one office, independents held four, and five mayors were nonpartisan. Two mayors' partisan affiliations were unknown. |
Las Vegas, Nevada
In the critical presidential battleground Nevada, in the state's most populous city, former Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D) and Las Vegas Councilwoman Victoria Seaman (R) are in a contentious race for the open Las Vegas mayoral seat being vacated by term-limited incumbent Carolyn Goodman (D).
The top two vote-getters in the crowded June 11 primary, Berkley won 35.69% to Seaman's 28.93%, with the remaining vote divided among twelve other candidates. As neither secured a majority of the votes, they advanced to the general election runoff.
Berkley, who served seven terms in the US House of Representatives, has been out of elected politics since she lost the 2012 US Senate to then-interim US Senator Dean Heller (R) by just over 1%.
Seaman served one term in the Nevada Assembly before losing a 2016 bid for state senate and being elected in a special election to the Las Vegas City Council in 2019. She was later elected for a full term that ends in 2026.
As of the July reporting, Berkley led the money race with contributions totaling more than $1.6 million and $500,000 on hand. Seaman raised more than $1.1 million and had $270,000 on hand.
Nevada is among the seven swing states that will determine the outcome of the race for the White House. In addition, the US Senate seat held by Democrat Jacky Rosen is one of the pivotal contests in the battle for control of the US Senate.
The most recent voter registration numbers provided by the Clark County Election Department show a Democratic lean: the city of Las Vegas had about 133,000 registered Democrats, roughly 101,000 Republicans, and more than 165,000 registered as nonpartisans or with other parties.
San Francisco, California
Thirteen candidates are running in the November 5 general election for mayor of San Francisco, California, which uses ranked-choice voting, in which voters rank their preference of candidates on their ballots.
Although San Francisco holds nonpartisan elections, the leading candidates are registered Democrats. The liberal, majority-minority city, the second-most densely populated large American city after New York, has not elected a Republican mayor since 1956.
The current mayor is former District 5 Supervisor and Board of Supervisors President London Breed, who won a special election following the death of Mayor Ed Lee on December 12, 2017. Breed served out the remainder of Lee's uncompleted term and was reelected in 2019 with 70% of the vote.
Breed narrowly leads a field that includes nonprofit executive and Levi Strauss Heir Daniel Lurie, former Mayor Mark Farrell, and San Francisco Board Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Ahsha Safaí.
Breed, Lurie, and Farrell have consistently come out in polls in either the one or two spots. but the contest appears to be narrowing. A September 28 – October 1 Binder Research survey of likely voters for Lurie's campaign showed Breed and Lurie statistically tied for the top two slots (MOE: ± 4.4%).
While Farrell, Lurie and Peskin have prominent endorsements, Breed has the lion's share, including San Francisco State Senator Scott Wiener, a majority of the Supervisors, Actor Danny Glover, and former Mayor Willie Brown. Vice President Kamala Harris hasn't officially backed Breed but has appeared with her.
In a potentially pivotal announcement yesterday, the San Francisco Chronicle endorsed both Breed and Lurie. The opinion piece profiled each of the candidates, concluding, "The safe choice would be Breed, but if you think S.F. needs change, only one candidate fits ...Lurie."
The candidates are investing heavily in the airwaves, with many spots focused on the key issues of housing and crime. The contest is one of the most expensive in San Francisco's history, with Lurie, as of September 21, having put in some $6.28 million of his own funds into the race.
Other Races to Watch
Richmond, Virginia: Five candidates -- Andreas Addison, Danny Avula, Michelle Mosby, Maurice Neblett and Harrison Roday -- are vying for mayor with the promise of reforming City Hall. The diverse field leaves open the possibility of electing Richmond's first non-Black mayor since now-US Senator Tim Kaine held the office more than 20 years ago, or the city's first Black woman mayor. Incumbent Levar Stoney (D) is term-limited and running for Lt. Governor.
Portland, Oregon: In the first election to use ranked-choice voting after it was instituted by the passage of a 2022 ballot measure, Portland voters will be electing a new mayor to succeed retiring two-Democratic incumbent Ted Wheeler.
19 candidates are vying to lead, with the issue of homelessness at the center of the race. Recent polling shows trucking company CEO Kieth Wilson leading Rene Gonzalez and Commissioner Carmen Rubio.
Tulsa, Oklahoma: In the open seat to succeed two-term Republican Mayor G. T. Bynum (R), State Representative Monroe Nichols and Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith, both Democrats, advanced to the November 5 runoff. If Nichols wins, he would be the first African American Mayor of Tulsa.
| See DemList's Election Protection Connection List of national and state-by-state voter protection resources and information. Pass it on! |
Notable Firsts in 2024
Anchorage, Alaska: Suzanne LaFrance (D) was elected the first female Mayor in May.
Fairbanks, Alaska: Grier Hopkins (D) was elected Mayor October 1, flipping the seat to blue.
Montclair, New Jersey: Dr. Renee Baskerville (D) was elected the city's first Black Woman Mayor in May.
Learn More! Democratic Mayors Association
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Sources: Ballotpedia, CaliforniaGlobe, LATimes, SanFranciscoExaminer, Virginia Mercury, The Indy, Nevada Current, DMA
