2018 Shelby County, Tennessee, mayoral election

2018 Shelby County mayoral election

←  2014 August 2, 2018 2022  →
Turnout	27.7% [1] 0.7 pp
Candidate Lee Harris David Lenoir Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 84,989 68,502 Percentage 55.32% 44.59%
Results: Harris:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Lenoir:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%
Mayor before election Mark Luttrell Republican Elected Mayor Lee Harris Democratic

The 2018 Shelby County mayoral election was held on August 2, 2018, to elect the next mayor of Shelby County, Tennessee. Incumbent Republican Mayor Mark Luttrell was term-limited and was prohibited from seeking a third consecutive term, he instead ran for congress. ^[2] Democratic candidate Lee Harris was elected mayor with 55.3% of the vote, defeating Republican nominee David Lenoir. ^{[3] [4]}

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• David Lenoir, Shelby County Trustee ^[5]

Eliminated in primary

• Joy Touliatos, daughter of Greek immigrants, worked at her family's Fairview drive-in restaurant ^[6]
• Terry Roland, Shelby County Commission Chairman ^[7]

Republican primary results ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	David Lenoir	18,444	60.97%
	Republican	Terry Roland	8,661	28.63%
	Republican	Joy Touliatos	3,126	10.33%
	Write-in	Write-in	19	0.06%
Total votes			30,250	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Lee Harris, state senator of Tennessee's 29th Senate district ^[9]

Eliminated in primary

• Sidney Chism, former Shelby County Commissioner ^[10]

Democratic primary results ^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lee Harris	34,106	76.13%
	Democratic	Sidney Chism	10,434	23.29%
	Write-in	Write-in	261	0.58%
Total votes			44,801	100.00%

General election

General election results ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lee Harris	84,989	55.32%
	Republican	Mark Luttrell	68,502	44.59%
	Write-in	Write-in	136	0.09%
Total votes			153,627	100.00%
	Democratic gain from Republican

See also

• 2018 Tennessee elections
• 2018 Hamilton County, Tennessee, mayoral election
• 2018 Knox County, Tennessee, mayoral election
• 2019 Memphis mayoral election

References

1. "Turnout | Shelby County Election Commission, TN". www.electionsshelbytn.gov. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
2. "Luttrell announces his run for Congress". www.commercialappeal.com. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
3. "Results: Shelby County election". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
4. "Past Elections | Shelby County Election Commission, TN". www.electionsshelbytn.gov. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
5. Poe, Ryan Poe and Ryan. "David Lenoir leads fundraising in Shelby County mayor's race". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
6. Poe, Ryan Poe and Ryan. "Joy Touliatos to run for mayor of Shelby County". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
7. "Terry Roland Announces Run For Shleby County Mayor". localmemphis.com. April 9, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
8. "County Primary 5.1.2018 | Shelby County Election Commission, TN". www.electionsshelbytn.gov. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
9. "Lenoir and Harris Advance in County Mayor's Race". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
10. "Chism Readying 2018 Bid for County Mayor". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
11. "County Primary 5.1.2018 | Shelby County Election Commission, TN". www.electionsshelbytn.gov. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
12. "Past Elections | Shelby County Election Commission, TN". www.electionsshelbytn.gov. Retrieved January 17, 2024.