Who's Running for Memphis Mayor?
Current Candidates, Important Dates, and Debate Attendance
Currently, there are thirteen known candidates who have announced their intention to run for Mayor of Memphis. The election is on October 5, 2023, but the next five months will be filled with events and news related to the election. In addition to the mayor, all 13 city council seats and the city court clerk will be on the ballot. I’ll cover those seats as we get closer to the filing deadline.
This race is going to be interesting and I’ll be shocked if thirteen is the final number. There are rumors of other folks getting in the race every day (including me, but no). Here are your current candidates. Check out their websites and get to know a bit about their platforms. I’ll dive into financials next week, so you can see who is raising what and from whom.
Candidates (as of 4/26/23)
Links included for candidates with active websites
Daniel Abston, Entrepreneur
Floyd Bonner, Jr., Shelby County Sheriff
Joe Brown, Retired, Former Judge
Karen Camper, Tennessee State Representative
Frank Colvett, Memphis City Councilman + Entrepreneur
JW Gibson, Entrepreneur, Former County Commissioner
Reggie Hall, Entrepreneur
James Harvey, Entrepreneur, Former County Commissioner
Willie Herenton, Retired, Former Mayor of Memphis
Michelle McKissack, Memphis-Shelby County School Board Member
Hastina Robinson, EMT
Van Turner, President, Memphis NAACP + Attorney, Former County Commissioner
Paul Young, President/CEO, Downtown Memphis Commission
Townhall / Debate Attendance
There have been three town halls/debates since March 30. I believe it’s important for voters to hear from candidates and I think candidates owe it to voters to show up at these events. I’ll be tracking attendance at major community engagements.
The debates were hosted by Memphis for All and a coalition of progressive Democratic organizations (March 30), The Memphis People’s Convention (April 22), and The Daily Memphian (April 24).
Here is the attendance of candidates so far:
Attended all: Gibson, Young
Attended 1 - 2: Abston, Camper, Colvett, Hall, Harvey, McKissack
Attended none: Bonner, Brown, Herenton, Robinson, Turner
The next conversation is scheduled for April 29 and is organized by the community group Committ to Memphis. This conversation will be held from 2 - 4 PM in Overton Park at the Levitt Shell. Candidates Gibson, Young, Harvey, Turner, McKissack, Colvett, and Camper are scheduled to participate.
Important Dates
It’s kind of wild, but NO ONE is an official candidate yet. Candidates cannot pull a petition to be on the ballot until May 22, 2023. That’s when the field will really take shape. Right now, think of the slate as cake batter waiting to be baked. Petitions are due on July 20, 2023. So for two months, between May 22 and July 20, candidates can come and go, but whoever has their petition in the hands of the election commission on July 20 is on the ballot. Early voting runs September 15 - 30, 2023. The race finishes on election day, October 5, 2023. It will be a long summer, but it’s worth it to engage and be informed as we choose the next mayor of Memphis.
The 2023 Mayoral Election is October 5, 2023. Register to vote today online.