Mayoral elections in Charleston, South Carolina

Mayoral elections in Charleston are held every four years to elect the mayor of Charleston, South Carolina.

All Charleston municipal elections are required to be non-partisan, but most candidates can be affiliated with political parties. Charleston uses a two-round system, where election runoffs are held if no candidate obtains the majority of the vote.

2019

2019 Charleston mayoral election

← 2015 November 5, 2019 (first round) November 19, 2019 (runoff) 2023  →

Candidate John Tecklenburg Mike Seekings First round 12,556 47.83% 8,998 34.27% Runoff 12,530 61.19% 7,947 38.81%   Candidate Maurice Washington Gary White First round 2116 8.06% 1,836 6.99% Runoff Eliminated Eliminated

Mayor before election John Tecklenburg Democratic Elected mayor John Tecklenburg Democratic

The 2019 Charleston mayoral election took place on November 5, 2019, to elect the mayor of Charleston, South Carolina. Incumbent Democratic Mayor John Tecklenburg ran for re-election to a second consecutive term. A runoff was held on November 19, 2019, since no candidate surpassed 50%. In the runoff, John Tecklenburg was easily re-elected. ^[1]

Results

2019 Charleston mayoral election results (first round) ^[2]

Candidate		Votes	%
John Tecklenburg (Incumbent)		12,556	47.83
Mike Seekings		8,998	34.27
Maurice Washington		2,116	8.08
Gary White		1,836	6.99
Renee Orth		482	1.84
Sheri lrwin		235	0.90
Write-in		30	0.11
Not Assigned		30	0.11
Total votes		26,253	100.00

2019 Charleston mayoral election results (runoff) ^[3]

Candidate		Votes	%
John Tecklenburg (Incumbent)		12,530	61.19
Mike Seekings		7,947	38.81
Total votes		20,447	100.00

2023

2023 Charleston mayoral election

←  2019 November 7, 2023 (first round) November 21, 2023 (runoff) 2027 →

Candidate William Cogswell John Tecklenburg First round 9,830 34.96% 9,000 32.01% Runoff 13,950 51.03% 13,393 48.97%   Candidate Clay Nimoy Middleton Peter Shahid First round 5,450 19.39% 2,367 8.42% Runoff Eliminated Eliminated

Mayor before election John Tecklenburg Democratic Elected mayor William Cogswell Republican

The 2023 Charleston mayoral election took place on November 7, 2023, to elect the mayor of Charleston, South Carolina. Incumbent Democratic Mayor John Tecklenburg ran for re-election to a third consecutive term. A runoff was held on November 23, 2023, since no candidate surpassed 50%. In the runoff Republican William Cogswell defeated Democratic Mayor John Tecklenburg. Cogswell became the first Republican mayor of Charleston since reconstruction when George Cunningham left office in 1877. Tecklenburg became the first mayor of Charleston to lose a re-election since 1959. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

The election was officially non-partisan, but several candidates were affiliated with political parties.

Results

2023 Charleston mayoral election results (first round) ^[7]

Candidate		Votes	%
William Cogswell		9,830	34.96
John Tecklenburg (Incumbent)		9,000	32.01
Clay Nimoy Middleton		5,450	19.39
Peter Shahid		2,367	8.42
Mika Gadsden		1,057	3.76
Debra J Gammons		382	1.36
Write-in		28	0.10
Total votes		28,114	100.00

2023 Charleston mayoral election results (runoff) ^[8]

Candidate		Votes	%
William Cogswell		13,958	51.03
John Tecklenburg (Incumbent)		13,392	48.97
Total votes		27,350	100.00

See also

• Mayoral elections in Columbia, South Carolina
• Elections in South Carolina

References

1. Beese, Wilson (November 19, 2019). "Tecklenburg wins reelection in Charleston mayoral race after Seekings concedes". WCIV. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
2. "First round" (PDF).
3. "Runoff". November 6, 2019.
4. "South Carolina: Charleston elects first Republican mayor since Reconstruction". The Guardian. Associated Press. November 22, 2023. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved February 23, 2024.
5. Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas (November 23, 2023). "Charleston Elects Republican Mayor for First Time Since 1870s". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 23, 2024.
6. Weber, Ian Kayanja, Lauren Lennon & Claire (November 21, 2023). "Nov. 21 runoff: Unofficial results show Cogswell elected mayor of Charleston". WCIV. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
7. "Election Night Reporting". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
8. "Election Night Reporting". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved February 23, 2024.