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The2025 mayoral election inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania will be held on November 4, 2025. One-term incumbent mayorWanda Williams ran for re-election and won. Primary elections were held on May 20, 2025.[2]
In October 2024, Harrisburg mayorWanda Williams announced she would seek re-election.[3] Four additional candidates announced their candidacy for mayor in the Democratic primary, with two serious challengers being City Councilman Lamont Jones[4] and City TreasurerDan Miller.[5] Jones and Miller declared their candidacies in December 2024 and January 2025, respectively. Williams narrowly won the Democratic primary by 80 votes over Miller.[6][7] While the Democratic primary was taking place, Miller won the Republican nomination after receiving enough write-in votes.[8] Two months after the primaries, in July, Miller accepted the Republican nomination, though he stopped short of committing to a full general election campaign.[9] On August 11, the last day to declare for the general election, Miller announced he would mount a general election bid for mayor as the Republican nominee. Miller likened the race to "a runoff between the top two candidates" from the Democratic primary.[10] Despite the Democratic primary being closely contested, Williams rode a nationalBlue Wave to re-election, trouncing Miller.[11][12]
Five candidates, including incumbent MayorWanda Williams, declared their candidacy for the Democratic nomination for mayor.[13] The campaign for the Democratic nomination was contentious, reflecting the city's current political climate. Early in the campaign, Williams clashed with the city council, her opponent Councilman Lamont Jones, and City TreasurerDan Miller. Among her criticisms, Williams claimed the city council was a "hindrance to progress" after vetoing several budget items.[14][15] Shortly thereafter, Williams targeted Jones, who had announced his primary challenge before her remarks about the city council. In her attack, Williams questioned Jones' leadership ability, claiming he was not "community-related," while touting her own community involvement of "over 40 years."[16] Prior to his declaration of candidacy, Treasurer Miller, held a press conference discussing unpaid trash bills, outlined his ideas for collecting the outstanding dues. Williams interrupted Miller's press conference to express her opposition to his plan, stating that the city was seeking a "collections attorney."[17]
In March, Williams held a last-minute press conference to defend herself against an article published byThe Patriot-News concerning a federal lawsuit filed against the city, which allegesnepotism within the city government.[18][19]
Three debates were held, attended by all five candidates. Each debate was marked by tension and hostility between Williams and her two main opponents, Jones and Miller.[20][21]
On Election Day, an altercation occurred between an individual associated with Jones against Williams at a polling location, resulting in an apology from Jones and disciplinary action for the aggressor. The individual in question had previously arranged interviews on behalf of Jones; however, Jones denied that he was his campaign manager, despite Williams' claim to the contrary.[22]
Ultimately, in a closely contested election, Williams secured the Democratic nomination for re-election.[7] The hostile environment of the primary was poorly received by voters, many of whom described the race as "horrible," leading to a record-low turnout. Voter turnout dropped by over 20% compared to the previous mayoral Democratic primary.[23]
The primary election results were divided by theNorfolk SouthernHarrisburg Intermodal Yard, with Williams losing support west of the yard while gaining support to the east. She lost the most support inMidtown, as well as inDowntown,South Harrisburg, andUptown. TheAllison Hill neighborhood was split along a north-south divide, with the northern portion swinging toward Williams and the southern portion swinging away from her.East Harrisburg saw a uniform swing towards Williams.[24]
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Democratic | Democratic | Democratic | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | |||||||||
| Butts Jr. | Cook Jr. | Jones | Miller | Williams* | |||||
| 1 | April 22, 2025 | WHTM-TV | Dennis Owens | [28] | P | P | P | P | P |
| 2 | May 7, 2025 | WHP-TV | Joel D. Smith | [29] | P | P | P | P | P |
| 3 | May 13, 2025 | WGAL-TV Harrisburg University | Tasmin Mahfuz Tom Lehman | [30] | P | P | P | P | P |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wanda Williams (incumbent) | 1,729 | 35.34 | |
| Democratic | Dan Miller | 1,649 | 33.70 | |
| Democratic | Lamont Jones | 1,096 | 22.40 | |
| Democratic | Tone Cook Jr. | 315 | 6.44 | |
| Democratic | Lewis L Butts Jr. | 90 | 1.84 | |
| Write-in | 14 | 0.29 | ||
| Total votes | 4,893 | 100.0 | ||
No Republicans filed to be on the ballot for the primary. However, Democratic candidate and City Treasurer Dan Miller sent out mailers to Republicans asking them to write him in. The Pennsylvania Department of State has said that it takes at least 100 votes for a write-in campaign to be successful.[31] Per the Dauphin County Registration and Elections, Miller won the parties nomination, receiving 112 write-in votes.[8] On July 16th, the Dauphin County elections department stated Miller had accepted the Republican nomination.[9] Miller has confirmed that, despite being the Republican nominee, he is "not a Republican".[32]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dan Miller(write-in) | 112 | 44.3 | |
| Republican | Other write-in | 90 | 35.6 | |
| Republican | Wanda Williams (incumbent)(write-in) | 51 | 20.2 | |
| Total votes | 253 | 100 | ||
The general election campaign has been quiet. Miller has called for additional debates, tellingWGAL he was available for a debate on September 30th. Williams refused, informing the station that she will not debate, as there have already been enough debates.[33] In a statement released by the city, Williams stated, “I simply do not care what he has to say. He wants publicity, and I am not giving it to him. Sorry, Dan, but I will not give you the platform you so desperately need. My focus is the City of Harrisburg, not some time-consuming back-and-forth banter with Dan Miller.”[34]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wanda Williams (incumbent) | 5,145 | 56.46 | |
| Republican | Dan Miller | 3,873 | 42.50 | |
| Write-in | 94 | 1.03 | ||
| Total votes | 9,112 | 100 | ||
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