2023 Gary, Indiana, mayoral election
November 7, 2023
 
Nominee Eddie Melton Andrew Delano
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 6,373 314
Percentage 95.1% 4.7%
Mayor before election

Jerome Prince
Democratic

 Elected Mayor

Eddie Melton
Democratic

The 2023 Gary, Indiana, mayoral election was held on November 7, 2023, to elect the mayor of Gary, Indiana. Primary elections were held on May 2.[1][2] Incumbent mayor Jerome Prince ran for re-election to a second term in office,[3] but lost the Democratic primary to state senator Eddie Melton.[1][4] This election marked the first time in the history of Gary, Indiana, that a one-term mayor was defeated in a reelection bid.[3] Melton defeated Republican nominee Andrew Delano in the general election.[4][5][6]

Background

Mayoral elections in Gary, Indiana, are partisan. Mayors serve four-year terms, with no term limits.[7] Incumbent mayor Jerome Prince was first elected after defeating two-term mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson in 2019.[8] Prince had been criticized in his first term for the lack of a permanent police chief.[1] His challenger, state senator Eddie Melton, had also criticized him for his "abortive attempt" to sell the Genesis Convention Center to a company that later defaulted and was sued by the city.[4][9]

In late January 2023, Prince announced his reelection bid, with Melton and truck driver Danien Walls as his primary opponents.[3] In February 2023, Lake County Democratic Party chair Jim Wieser announced he would be seeking to remove Walls from the ballot, on the grounds that Walls "had no history of having voted as a Democrat."[10] In Indiana, in order to appear on a major party's primary ballot, a candidate must have requested for the primary ballot of that party and voted in that party's two prior primary elections, or obtain a waiver from the county party chair.[11][7] As Walls had not met either condition, the board upheld Wieser's challenge and removed Walls from the ballot.[11]

In April 2023, Howey Politics Indiana rated the Democratic primary race as a toss-up.[12] Melton defeated Prince in the primary. This election marked the first time in the history of Gary, Indiana, that a one-term mayor was defeated in a reelection bid,[3] and it also marked the second election in a row where an incumbent mayor was defeated by a challenger.[8]

The population of Gary had fallen by 61% from its peak in the 1960s down to only 66,583 residents as of December 2022.[13] Owing to the downward trend in population, the Democratic primary tally of 10,790 votes was 4,000 fewer votes than the Democratic primary in the 2019 mayoral race.[1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in the primary

Disqualified

Endorsements

Eddie Melton
State legislators
Individuals
Newspapers and other media
Labor unions
Jerome Prince
Labor unions

Results

Democratic primary for the 2023 Gary, Indiana, mayoral election[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eddie Melton 6,345 58.87
Democratic Jerome Prince (incumbent) 4,438 41.13
Total votes 10,790 100.00

Republican primary

Nominee

  • Andrew Delano[4]

Results

Republican primary for the 2023 Gary, Indiana, mayoral election[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Andrew Delano 192 100.00
Total votes 192 100.00

General election

Results

2023 Gary mayoral election[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Eddie Melton 6,373 95.09% −4.42
Republican Andrew Delano 314 4.69% N/A
Write-in 15 0.22% −0.27
Total votes 6,702 100.00%
Democratic hold

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gary voters pick Melton in Democratic mayoral contest". Chicago Crusader. The 411 News. May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Carden, Dan (March 21, 2023). "The Jacksons endorse Eddie Melton for Gary mayor". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Gary's Mayor Prince opens his campaign headquarters for second term". Gary 411 Weekly News. January 30, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dalton, Alex (May 3, 2023). "Eddie Melton declares victory in Democratic primary for Gary mayor". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  5. ↑ Gallenberger, Michael (May 3, 2023). "Gary mayor unseated in primary". WFYI Public Media. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  6. ↑ Dalton, Alex (November 8, 2023). "Eddie Melton declares victory in Gary mayoral race, touts Mark Spencer as potential State Senate replacement". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Fajman, Michelle R.; Angerman, LeAnn J. (January 6, 2023). "Election Candidates: Candidate Filing Information" (PDF). Lake County Board of Elections and Registration. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Blakley, Derrick (May 8, 2019). "Karen Freeman-Wilson Unseated In Gary Mayoral Race". CBS News 2 Chicago. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  9. ↑ Napoleon, Carrie (February 10, 2022). "Gary, tech developer settle after default; Genesis Center, Ivanhoe again marked for redevelopment". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  10. ↑ Dolan, Bill (February 11, 2023). "Porter and LaPorte ballots are set, Lake County has more drama to go". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 Napoleon, Carrie (February 21, 2023). "Gary, Hobart mayoral candidates kicked off ballot due to party dispute". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Howey, Brian A. (April 6, 2023). "Steelworkers endorse Melton in tossup race". State Affairs Pro Indiana. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  13. ↑ Jones, Jennifer (December 7, 2023). "10 Largest Cities In Indiana By Population". Largest.org. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  14. ↑ Napoleon, Carrie; Lavalley, Amy (January 28, 2023). "Municipal candidates continue to file, giving a clearer picture of May primary ballot". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Senator Eddie Melton releases comprehensive housing policy". Chicago Crusader. April 10, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  16. ↑ "2023 GARY CRUSADER POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS". Chicago Crusader. Gary Crusader. April 29, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  17. ↑ "IUOE Local 150 Endorsed Candidates - Indiana Municipal Election: May 2, 2023" (PDF). IUOE Local 150. April 17, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  18. 1 2 Fajman, Michelle R.; Angerman, Leann J. "Lake County, Indiana 2023 Municipal Primary Election Results". Lake County Board of Elections and Registration. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  19. ↑ "2023 Municipal General Election Results". Lake County Election and Voter Registration Board. November 8, 2023.
Official campaign websites
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