2015 Memphis mayoral election


The 2015 Memphis mayoral election took place on October 8, 2015 to elect the Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. 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 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 mayor of Memphis in more than two decades.

Candidates

Democratic Party

Declared

A C Wharton was first elected Mayor of Memphis in a 2009 special election following the resignation of Mayor Willie Herenton; 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.
CandidatePercentageVotes
Jim Strickland41.3%42,020
A C Wharton 22.1%22,290
Harold B. Collins18.5%18,767
Mike Williams16.1%16,388
Sharon A. Webb0.6%610
M. Latroy Williams0.4%413
Anderson Fullilove, Jr.0.4%369
Robert Hodges0.2%240
David Phillip Walker, Jr.0.2%171
Leo Awgowhat0.1%119
Write-ins0.1%92