Elections are held in Fort Wayne, Indiana to elect the city's mayor. Currently, such elections are regularly scheduled to be held every four years, in the year immediately preceding that of United States presidential elections.

Elections before 1987

1987

1987 Fort Wayne mayoral election
November 3, 1987
 
Nominee Paul Helmke Winfield Moses
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 26,194% 24,179
Percentage 52.00% 48.00%
Mayor before election

Winfield Moses
Democratic

 Elected Mayor

Paul Helmke
Republican

The 1987 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 3, 1987, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Republican Paul Helmke, who unseated Democratic incumbent Winfield Moses.

1987 Fort Wayne mayoral election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paul Helmke 26,194 52.00
Democratic Winfield Moses (incumbent) 24,179 48.00
Total votes 50,373 100

1991

1991 Fort Wayne mayoral election
November 5, 1991
 
Nominee Paul Helmke Charlie Belch
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 21,415% 14,766
Percentage 59.19% 40.81%
Mayor before election

Paul Helmke
Republican

 Elected Mayor

Paul Helmke
Republican

The 1991 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5, 1991, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Republican incumbent Paul Helmke.

1991 Fort Wayne mayoral election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paul Helmke (incumbent) 21,415 59.19
Democratic Charlie Belch 14,766 40.81
Total votes 36,181 100

1995

1995 Fort Wayne mayoral election
November 7, 1995
 
Nominee Paul Helmke Thomas Essex
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 21,909 11,033
Percentage 64.49% 32.48%
Mayor before election

Paul Helmke
Republican

 Elected Mayor

Paul Helmke
Republican

The 1995 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 7, 1995, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Republican incumbent Paul Helmke. As of 2023, this is the last time a Republican was elected Mayor of Fort Wayne.

Nominations

Democratic primary

Wayne Township Trustee Thomas Essex won the Democratic primary with 4,056 votes.[2]

Republican primary

Some Republicans speculated that Helmke, who had ties to the Clinton administration, might have been endangered in his primary. However, contrarily, he handily won his primary with 75% of the vote (7,717 votes).[2]

Libertarian nomination

Libertarians nominated William Kempf.

General election

The race was projected by Howey Political Report to be "safe Republican", with Helmke anticipated to be easily reelected.[3][4]

1995 Fort Wayne mayoral election[5][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paul Helmke (incumbent) 21,909 64.49
Democratic Thomas Essex 11,033 32.48
Libertarian William Kempf 1,029 3.03
Total votes 33,971 100

1999

1999 Fort Wayne mayoral election
November 2, 1999
Turnout34%
 
Nominee Graham Richard Linda Buskirk
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 21,607 21,531
Percentage 50.07% 49.89%
Mayor before election

Paul Helmke
Republican

 Elected Mayor

Graham Richard
Democratic

The 1999 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 2, 1999, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Democrat Graham Richard, who defeated Republican Linda Buskirk by a narrow margin.

Nominations

Democratic primary

Running for the Democratic nomination was Graham Richard, Agnes Hopkins, and David Roach.[7]

1999 Fort Wayne Democratic mayoral primary[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Graham Richard 5,568 79.13
Democratic Agnes Fitzgerald Hopkins 940 13.36
Democratic Dave "Fort Wayne's Most Wanted" Roach 529 7.52
Total votes 7,037 100

Republican primary

Running for the Republican nomination was Linda Buskirk and Allen County Sheriff Joe Squadrito.[7] While he had been seen as a frontrunner,[7] Squadrito ultimately lost the primary to Buskirk.

1999 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Linda Buskirk 9,540 52.10
Republican Joseph Martin Squadrito 8,772 47.90
Total votes 18,312 100

Independent candidates

Independent candidates Sherri Emerson and William B. Dinkins also ran.

General election

1999 Fort Wayne mayoral election[10][11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Graham Richard 21,607 50.07
Republican Linda Buskirk 21,531 49.89
Independent Sherri Emerson 14 0.03
Independent William B. Dinkins 3 0.01
Turnout 43,155 34

2003

2003 Fort Wayne mayoral election
November 4, 2003[12]
 
Nominee Graham Richard Linda Buskirk
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 27,279 19,717
Percentage 58.00% 41.92%
Mayor before election

Graham Richard
Democratic

 Elected Mayor

Graham Richard
Democratic

The 2003 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 4 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, US. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Graham Richard, who again defeated Republican Linda Buskirk in what was a rematch of the 1999 election.

Nominations

Primary elections were held May 8.[13]

During its primaries, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 11.9%.[13]

Democratic primary

Democratic primary results[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Graham Richard (incumbent) 5,061 88.85
Democratic Charles Eberhard 330 5.79
Democratic Thomas Allen Schrader 167 2.93
Democratic David Christopher "Papa" Roach 138 2.42
Total votes 5,696 100

Republican primary

Republican primary results[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Linda Buskirk 8,233 88.26
Republican O. "Bro" Blye 1,095 11.74
Total votes 9,328 100

General election

The election was projected as a "tossup".[14] Despite the race having been projected to be close, Richard won a sizable victory over Buskirk.[15]

During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 30.63%.[12]

2003 was a good year for Democrats in Indiana's mayoral elections, with the party winning control of the mayoralties of all of the state's top seven most populous cities for the first time since 1959.[15] The Democratic Party also won control of the mayoralties in twenty of the state's thirty cities with populations above 25,000.[15] Additionally, in 2003, Democrats won more than 56% of partisan mayoral races in Indiana.[16]

During the general election, Allen County, where Fort Wayne is located, saw voter turnout of 25% in its various elections.[17]

2003 Fort Wayne mayoral election[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Graham Richard (incumbent) 27,279 58.00
Republican Linda Buskirk 19,717 41.92
Write-in Others 38 0.08
Total votes 47,031 100

2007

2007 Fort Wayne mayoral election
November 6, 2007[18]
 
Nominee Tom Henry Matt Kelty
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 31,740 21,163
Percentage 60% 40%
Mayor before election

Graham Richard
Democratic

 Elected Mayor

Tom Henry
Democratic

The 2007 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 6 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Democrat Tom Henry.

Incumbent mayor Graham Richard did not seek reelection to a third term.

Nominations

Primary elections were held May 8.[19]

Democratic primary

2007 Fort Wayne Democratic mayoral primary[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Henry 4,921 82.44
Democratic Tom Cook 804 13.47
Democratic Frederick F. Steinke 244 4.09
Total votes 5,969 100

Republican primary

2007 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Kelty 9,123 50.29
Republican Nelson Peters 8,465 46.66
Republican Ivan R. Hood 328 1.81
Republican Teresa L. Licari 115 0.63
Republican Wilbert "Duke" Brown 111 0.61
Total votes 18,142 100

General election

In August, Kelty was indicted over perjury and campaign finance charges. While he denied wrongdoing, this story dominated the campaign.[20]

During the general election, Allen County, where Fort Wayne is located, saw voter turnout of 21% in its various elections.[21]

2007 Fort Wayne mayoral election[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Henry 31,740 60.00
Republican Matt Kelty 21,163 40.00
Total votes 52,903 100

Aftermath

In October 2008, Kelty pleaded guilty to several of the campaign finance charges brought against him.[22]

Henry would go on to be reelected in 2011, 2015, and 2019.

2011

2011 Fort Wayne mayoral election
November 8, 2011[23]
 
Nominee Tom Henry Paula Hughes
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 23,166 21,520
Percentage 49.85% 46.31%
Mayor before election

Tom Henry
Democratic

 Elected Mayor

Tom Henry
Democratic

The 2011 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 8 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Democrat Tom Henry.

Nominations

Primary elections were held May 3.[24]

During the primary elections, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 12.78%.[24]

Democratic primary

2011 Fort Wayne Democratic mayoral primary[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Henry (incumbent) 4,391 85.96
Democratic Tom Cook 346 6.77
Democratic Charles Eberhard 159 3.11
Democratic D. C. "Mr. Roachclip" Roach 116 2.27
Democratic Frederick F. Steinke 96 1.88
Total votes 5,108 100

Republican primary

2011 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paula Hughes 9,241 55.67
Republican Elizabeth "Liz" Brown 4,188 25.23
Republican Eric Doden 3,031 18.26
Republican Wilbert "Duke" Brown 111 0.61
Republican Terrence Richard Walker 79 0.48
Total votes 16,601 100

General election

During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 26.21%.[23]

2011 Fort Wayne mayoral election[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Henry (incumbent) 23,166 49.85
Republican Paula Hughes 21,520 46.31
Independent D. Haley Ahrend 1,782 3.83
Total votes 46,468 100

2015

2015 Fort Wayne mayoral election
November 3, 2015[25]
 
Nominee Tom Henry Mitch Harper
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 23,769 18,068
Percentage 56.81% 43.19%
Mayor before election

Tom Henry
Democratic

 Elected Mayor

Tom Henry
Democratic

The 2015 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 3 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Democrat Tom Henry to a third term.

Nominations

Primary elections were held May 5.[26]

During the primary elections, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 9.82%.[26]

Democratic primary

2015 Fort Wayne Democratic primary [26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Henry (incumbent) 5,676 76.51
Democratic Richard "Rick" Stevenson Sr. 1,396 18.82
Democratic Tom M. Cook 219 2.95
Democratic David Christopher Roach 128 1.73
Total votes 7,419 100

Republican primary

2015 Fort Wayne Republican primary[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mitch Harper 8,475 83.68
Republican William E. "Bill" Collins 705 6.96
Republican Robert "Rob" Bastian 693 6.84
Republican Frederick G. Osheskie Sr. 255 2.52
Total votes 10,128 100

General election

During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 22.49%.[25]

2015 Fort Wayne mayoral election[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Henry (incumbent) 23,769 56.81
Republican Mitch Harper 18,068 43.19
Total votes 41,837 100

2019

2019 Fort Wayne mayoral election
November 5, 2019
 
Nominee Tom Henry Tim Smith
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 32,571 20,643
Percentage 61.74% 38.26%
Mayor before election

Tom Henry
Democratic

 Elected Mayor

Tom Henry
Democratic

The 2019 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Incumbent mayor Tom Henry was reelected to a fourth term.

Nominations

Primary elections were held May 7.[27]

Democratic primary

Democratic primary results[27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Henry (incumbent) 6,797 86.17
Democratic Gina M. Burgess 875 11.09
Democratic Tommy A. Schrader 216 2.74
Total votes 7,888 100

Republican primary

2019 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary[27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tim Smith 9,065 56.39
Republican John Crawford 6,776 42.15
Republican David Christopher Roach 235 1.46
Total votes 16,076 100

General election

The election was not close with Henry winning easily. Earlier in the campaign Henry was thought to be vulnerable, but the race ended up not being close. In his victory speech, Henry announced that it would be his last term as mayor, though he later decided to run for a fifth term against businessman Tim Didier for 2023. He was sworn in for his fourth term on January 1, 2020. His fourth term will expire on January 1, 2024.

2019 Fort Wayne mayoral election[28]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Thomas C. Henry (Incumbent) 32,571 61.21% +4.40%
Republican Timothy Smith 20,643 38.79% -4.40%
No party Write-Ins —
Turnout 53,214
Majority 11,928 22.42% 100.00%
Democratic hold Swing

2023

2023 Fort Wayne mayoral election
November 7, 2023
 
Nominee Tom Henry Thomas Didier
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 23,945 22,210
Percentage 51.88% 48.12%
Mayor before election

Tom Henry
Democratic

 Elected Mayor

Tom Henry
Democratic

The 2023 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Incumbent mayor Tom Henry was reelected to a fifth term.

2023 Fort Wayne mayoral election[29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Thomas C. Henry (Incumbent) 23,945 51.88% -9.86%
Republican Thomas Didier 22,210 48.12% +9.86%
No party Write-Ins —
Turnout 46,155 100.00%
Majority 1,735 3.76% 100.00%
Democratic hold Swing


References

  1. 1 2 "Helmke won't press; Bayh ain't talkin'" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 4 (29). July 9, 1998. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Upsets, resilience mark mayoral races" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 1 (32). May 4, 1995.
  3. ↑ "Final look at mayoral races prior to '95 polling" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 2 (9). November 1, 1995.
  4. ↑ "Indy mayoral race big Democratic blunder?" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 2 (8). October 24, 1995.
  5. ↑ "Indiana Racing Form Indiana Mayoral Races 1999" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 5 (30). February 15, 1999. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Helmke won't press; Bayh ain't talkin'" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 4 (29). July 9, 1998. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 "Indiana Racing Form INDIANA MAYORAL RACES 1999" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 5 (30). April 15, 1999. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Democratic Primary Mayoral Elections Fort Wayne". www.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State. July 21, 1999. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Republican Primary Mayoral Elections Fort Wayne". www.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State. July 21, 1999. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  10. ↑ "INDIANA MAYORAL ELECTIONS 1999 FORT WAYNE". www.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Indiana 2003 Racing Form Indiana 2003 Mayoral Races" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 9 (26). February 27, 2003. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  12. 1 2 3 "MUNICIPAL ELECTION ELECTION SUMMARY REPORT" (PDF). Allen County, Indiana. November 6, 2003. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "MUNICIPAL PRIMARY 2003 ELECTION SUMMARY REPORT" (PDF). Allen County, Indiana. May 5, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Indiana 2003 Racing Form Indiana 2003 Mayoral Races" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 9 (26). February 27, 2003. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  15. 1 2 3 Howey, Brian A. (November 5, 2003). "Democrats control top 7 Hoosier cities" (PDF). The Howey Political Report. 10 (14). Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  16. ↑ Marschall, Melissa; Lappie, John (May 2016). "Mayoral Elections in Indiana 2003–2015" (PDF). Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  17. ↑ "General Election Turnout and Registration" (PDF). www.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State.
  18. 1 2 "Election Summary Report" (PDF). Allen County, Indiana. November 19, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  19. 1 2 3 "Election Summary Report". Allen County, Indiana. May 21, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  20. ↑ Galer, Sarah (November 6, 2007). "Comeback kid: Ballard upsets Peterson to win Indy mayor's race". 13 WTHR Indianapolis. WTHR-TV. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  21. ↑ "General Election Turnout and Registration" (PDF). www.in.gov. Indiana Secretary of State.
  22. ↑ "Kelty pleads guilty, avoids jail". KPCNews. October 21, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  23. 1 2 3 "Election Summary Report" (PDF). Allen County, Indiana. November 18, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "Election Summary Report" (PDF). Allen County, Indiana. December 15, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  25. 1 2 3 "Election Summary Report" (PDF). Allen County, Indiana. November 13, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Election Summary Report" (PDF). Allen County, Indiana. May 18, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  27. 1 2 3 "Election Summary Report" (PDF). Allen County, Indiana. May 17, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  28. ↑ "2015 Municipal Election Results". Indy Gov. November 4, 2015. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  29. ↑ "2023 Election Day Results". WOWO TV. November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
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