United States mayoral elections, 2020
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Elections were held for mayor in 29 ofAmerica's 100 largest cities by population in 2020. Elections were also held for mayor in 19 cities inGuam and 78 cities inPuerto Rico.
This page provides links to Ballotpedia's coverage of those mayoral elections.Click here for coverage of other municipal elections in 2020, andclick here for coverage of school board elections in 2020.
Elections covered on this page may have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. To read more about those elections and changes to them,click here.
Below, you will find the following:
- Battleground elections: List of 2020 mayoral battleground elections.
- Mayoral elections by state and in the U.S. territories: List of 2020 mayoral elections by state and in the U.S. territories
- Mayoral partisanship: Information on partisan affiliations of mayors in the 100 largest cities
- List of mayors in the states: List of mayors of the 100 largest cities
- List of mayors in the territories: List of mayors in the U.S. territories
- Historical election data: Statistics on mayoral elections covered by Ballotpedia between 2014 and 2019
Note: The statistics on this page do not include data from local elections in theU.S. territories.
Battleground election summary
Ballotpedia designated certain 2020 elections asbattlegrounds—races expected to have a meaningful effect on the balance of power in governments or to be particularly competitive or compelling. Here is a summary of key 2020 mayoral battleground elections:
Mayoral election in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Daniella Levine Cava defeatedEsteban Bovo Jr. in the nonpartisan general election for Mayor ofMiami-Dade County on November 3, 2020. Incumbent MayorCarlos Gimenez reached his consecutive term limit and could not run for re-election. Though the race was nonpartisan, the candidates received partisan support. Four local Republican organizations endorsed Bovo, who held office in theFlorida House of Representatives as a Republican from 2008 to 2012.[1] Seven local and state Democratic organizations, including theFlorida Democratic Party, endorsed Levine Cava.[2] The office was last held by a Democratic-aligned candidate in 2004, which was also the last time a Democratic-aligned candidate and a Republican-aligned candidate faced off in a general election.
Mayoral election in Portland, Oregon
IncumbentTed Wheeler defeatedSarah Iannarone andTeressa Raiford (write-in) in the general election for mayor ofPortland, Oregon on November 3, 2020. Wheeler said he led on police reform and the city's COVID-19 response. His campaign website said, "We are in the midst of a pandemic, the ensuing economic crisis, racial justice reckoning, and facing the constantly growing effects of climate change. We have an incredible amount of work ahead, and need continued leadership now more than ever."[3] Iannarone's campaign website said, "The current Mayor’s record is full of broken promises on solutions for houselessness and inequality. He’s shown no leadership on civil unrest or public safety. ... I’m offering a progressive alternative."[4]
Mayoral election in Stockton, California
Kevin Lincoln defeated incumbentMichael Tubbs in the general election for mayor ofStockton, California, on November 3, 2020. Tubbs conceded the race on November 17.[5] The general election was held after no candidate received a majority of the vote in the March 3 primary.[6] Mayoral elections in Stockton are nonpartisan, meaning that candidates’ party affiliations do not appear on the ballot. However, Lincoln was a member of the Republican Party at the time of the election and Tubbs was a member of the Democratic Party.[7] Tubbs' campaign website said he was "running to continue revitalizing our neighborhoods, attract more good paying jobs, increase safety through community policing, and bring innovation into our civic life and local economy."[8] According to theLos Angeles Times, Tubbs was "the city’s first Black mayor and a favorite in progressive circles for championing ideas such as universal basic income."[9] Lincoln's campaign website included proposals for a homeless policy initiative, public safety policy initiative, and civic engagement plan.[10] Lincoln received support from local police and firefighters unions.[9][11] His professional experience included serving in the Marines, working in private security, and pastoring a church.[7]
Mayoral election in El Paso, Texas
Oscar Leeser defeated incumbentDonald "Dee" Margo in the runoff election for mayor ofEl Paso, Texas, on December 12, 2020. Leeser received 79.5% of the vote to Margo's 20.5%. The runoff election was held after no candidate received a majority of the vote in the November 3 general election. Mayoral elections in El Paso are nonpartisan, meaning that candidates’ party affiliations do not appear on the ballot. However, media outlets identified Leeser as a member of the Democratic Party, and Margo previously served as a Republican in theTexas House of Representatives.[12][13] Leeser served as mayor of El Paso from 2013 to 2017. He did not seek re-election in 2017, and Margo won arunoff election for the office. According toThe Texas Tribune, the 2020 runoff election was "dominated by Margo’s management of the [COVID-19] crisis."[14] According to theTribune, "Margo ran on his experience guiding the city through three major crises — not just the pandemic, but also the 2019 massacre at a Walmart and the Central American migrant influx prior to that," while Leeser "pitched himself as a better crisis manager who would do more to bring the city together to get the virus under control."[15][14]
Mayoral partisanship
Once mayors elected in 2020 assumed office, the mayors of 65 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with theDemocratic Party.
Mayoral elections were held in 29 of the 100 largest U.S. cities in 2020. Seven party changes took place as a result of these 29 elections. Five offices held by Republican incumbents and two offices held by Democratic incumbents changed partisan control.
InScottsdale, Arizona, independentDavid Ortega won the open seat. IncumbentJim Lane (R) was term-limited. InIrvine, California, DemocratFarrah Khan defeated incumbentChristina Shea (R). InSan Diego, California, DemocratTodd Gloria won the open seat. The incumbent,Kevin Faulconer (R), was term-limited. InStockton, California, RepublicanKevin Lincoln II defeated incumbentMichael Tubbs (D). InHonolulu, Hawaii, independentRick Blangiardi won the open seat. Democratic mayorKirk Caldwell was term-limited. InEl Paso, Texas, DemocratOscar Leeser defeated incumbentDonald Margo (R). InCorpus Christi, Texas, nonpartisanPaulette Guajardo defeated incumbentJoe McComb (R).
Mayoral elections across the United States
Arizona
California
- Bakersfield, California
- Fremont, California
- Fresno, California
- Irvine, California
- Riverside, California
- Sacramento, California
- San Diego, California
- Santa Ana, California
- Stockton, California
Hawaii
Louisiana
Maryland
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Oregon
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin
U.S. territories
Guam
Puerto Rico
- Adjuntas
- Aguada
- Aguadilla
- Aguas Buenas
- Aibonito
- Arecibo
- Arroyo
- Añasco
- Barceloneta
- Barranquitas
- Bayamón
- Cabo Rojo
- Caguas
- Camuy
- Canóvanas
- Carolina
- Cataño
- Cayey
- Ceiba
- Ciales
- Cidra
- Coamo
- Comerío
- Corozal
- Culebra
- Dorado
- Fajardo
- Florida
- Guayama
- Guayanilla
- Guaynabo
- Gurabo
- Guánica
- Hatillo
- Hormigueros
- Humacao
- Isabela
- Jayuya
- Juana Díaz
- Juncos
- Lajas
- Lares
- Las Marías
- Las Piedras
- Loíza
- Luquillo
- Manatí
- Maricao
- Maunabo
- Mayagüez
- Moca
- Morovis
- Naguabo
- Naranjito
- Orocovis
- Patillas
- Peñuelas
- Ponce
- Quebradillas
- Rincón
- Río Grande
- Sabana Grande
- Salinas
- San Germán
- San Juan
- San Lorenzo
- San Sebastián
- Santa Isabel
- Toa Alta
- Toa Baja
- Trujillo Alto
- Utuado
- Vega Alta
- Vega Baja
- Vieques
- Villalba
- Yabucoa
- Yauco
List of mayors of the 100 largest cities
To view a list of the current mayors of the top 100 U.S. cities by population,click here.
List of mayors in the U.S. territories
Guam
Mayors
To view a list of the current mayors of Guam,click here.
Vice-mayors
To view a list of the current vice-mayors of Guam,click here.
Puerto Rico
To view a list of the current mayors of Puerto Rico,click here.
Historical election data
Mayoral elections
Between 2014 and 2019, 67.2% of incumbent mayors sought re-election; of these, 17.1% were defeated in their bids for re-election. The first chart below shows the number of incumbents who sought election each year compared to the number of seats up for election. The second chart shows the number of incumbents who were defeated compared to the number of incumbents who ran for re-election.
The table below is organized by year and includes the total number of mayoral races and the number and percentage of uncontested races, incumbents who sought re-election, and incumbents who were defeated in their re-election bids.
| Mayoral election incumbency statistics from 2014 to 2019 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Uncontested | Incumbents who sought re-election | Incumbents defeated | |||
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Uncontested races
An average of 2.0 mayoral races and 51.8 city council races went uncontested between 2014 and 2019. In terms of mayoral elections, 2016 saw the highest number of uncontested races (four) and 2017 saw the fewest (zero). For city council seats, 2015 had the highest number of uncontested races (97) and 2018 had the fewest (29). The chart below shows the percentage of uncontested mayoral and city council races between 2014 and 2019.
More local election analysis
In 2020, Ballotpedia covered elections for mayor, city council, and all other city officials in the100 largest cities by population in the United States, as well as elections for county officials whose jurisdictions overlapped with those cities.
Election analysis
- Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection report
- Rematches in 2020 general elections
- Analysis of rejected ballots in the 2020 general election
- Analysis of ballot curing in the 2020 general election
- Analysis of voter turnout in the 2020 general election
Municipal elections
- Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2020)
- Trends in the margins of victory for incumbents of three or more terms, 2018-2024
See also
Footnotes
- ↑Esteban Bovo's 2020 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed October 21, 2020
- ↑Daniella Levine Cava's 2020 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed October 21, 2020
- ↑Ted Wheeler's 2020 campaign website, "Our Progress," accessed October 29, 2020
- ↑Sarah Iannarone's 2020 campaign website, "Home," accessed October 29, 2020
- ↑CBS Sacramento, "Election Update: Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs Concedes To Kevin Lincoln," November 17, 2020
- ↑City of Stockton, "Elections," accessed February 7, 2020
- ↑7.07.1AP News, "Stockton mayor who pushed guaranteed income isn’t reelected," November 18, 2020
- ↑Michael Tubbs 2020 campaign website, "Why I'm running," accessed November 24, 2020
- ↑9.09.1Los Angeles Times, "Rising Democratic star Michael Tubbs risks reelection defeat, thanks in part to a Stockton blog," November 6, 2020
- ↑Kevin Lincoln 2020 campaign website, "On the issues," accessed November 24, 2020
- ↑Kevin Lincoln 2020 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed November 24, 2020
- ↑AP News, "El Paso elects former mayor, defeating incumbent in runoff," December 13, 2020
- ↑The Texas Tribune, "New El Paso Mayor Takes On List of Challenges," July 21, 2013
- ↑14.014.1The Texas Tribune, "Hit hard by the coronavirus, El Pasoans will decide a mayoral runoff where the central focus has been handling the pandemic," December 11, 2020
- ↑The Texas Tribune, "El Paso Mayor Dee Margo loses reelection bid to Oscar Leeser," December 12, 2020
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