Mayoral elections in Knoxville, Tennessee

Mayoral elections in Knoxville are held every four years to elect the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee.

All Knoxville municipal elections are required to be non-partisan, ^[1] but candidates can be affiliated with a political party. Knoxville uses a two-round system, where election runoffs are held if no candidate obtains the majority of the vote.

1983

1983 Knoxville mayoral election

← 1979 September 27, 1983 1987  →

Candidate Kyle Testerman Arthur M. "Smiley" Blanchard Popular vote 19,403 7,448 Percentage 62.75% 24.09%   Candidate Lowell W. Ramsey Popular vote 2,619 Percentage 8.47%

Mayor before election Randy Tyree Democratic Elected mayor Kyle Testerman Republican

The 1983 Knoxville mayoral election took place on September 27, 1983, to elect the next mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with various other local elections. It saw the election of former Republican Mayor Kyle Testerman.

Results ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Kyle Testerman	19,403	62.75
	Nonpartisan	Arthur M. "Smiley" Blanchard	7,448	24.09
	Nonpartisan	Lowell W. Ramsey	2,619	8.47
	Nonpartisan	Robert L. "Bob" Cheek	973	3.15
	Nonpartisan	Arnold Joseph Zandi	240	0.78
	Nonpartisan	Karl Paul	185	0.60
	Nonpartisan	Clyde Ledford	53	0.17
	Nonpartisan	unknown candidate	1	0
Total votes			30,922	100
	Republican gain from Democratic

1987

1987 Knoxville mayoral election

←  1983 September 29, 1987 (first round) November 3, 1987 (runoff) 1991  →

Candidate Victor Ashe Randy Tyree First round 10,765 43.85% 5,739 23.38% Runoff 18,892 54.35% 15,853 45.61%   Candidate Jean Teague Casey C. Jones First round 5,210 21.22% 2,543 10.36% Runoff Eliminated Eliminated

Mayor before election Kyle Testerman Republican Elected mayor Victor Ashe Republican

The 1987 Knoxville mayoral election took place on November 3, 1987, to elect the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with various other local elections and was officially nonpartisan. It saw the election of Victor Ashe.

Since no candidate secured a majority in the first round, a runoff election was held between the top two finishers, with Ashe defeating former mayor Randy Tyree.

Results

First round

First round results ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Victor Ashe	10,765	43.85
	Nonpartisan	Randy Tyree	5,739	23.38
	Nonpartisan	Jean Teague	5,210	21.22
	Nonpartisan	Casey C. Jones	2,543	10.36
	Nonpartisan	Louis E. Royal	119	0.49
	Nonpartisan	James T. "Jim" Garland	84	0.34
	Nonpartisan	James Wesley Gilliam	45	0.18
	Nonpartisan	Boyce T. McCall	43	0.18
	Nonpartisan	Kyle C. Testerman	2	0.01
Total votes			24,550

Runoff

Runoff results ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Victor Ashe	18,892	54.35
	Nonpartisan	Randy Tyree	15,853	45.61
	Write-in	Jean Teague	4	0.01
	Write-in	C. Howard Bozeman	2	0.01
	Write-in	Willie Hambree	1	0.00
	Write-in	Harry E. Hodge	1	0.00
	Write-in	Steve Kidwell	1	0.00
	Write-in	Louis A. McElroy II	1	0.00
	Write-in	Ron Payne	1	0.00
	Write-in	E. R. Shultz	1	0.00
	Write-in	Kyle Testerman	1	0.00
	Write-in	Robt O. Watson	1	0.00
Total votes			34,759

1991

1991 Knoxville mayoral election

←  1987 September 24, 1991 1995  →

Candidate Victor Ashe C. Robertson Popular vote 11,609 3,684 Percentage 72.20% 22.91%

Mayor before election Victor Ashe Republican Elected mayor Victor Ashe Republican

The 1991 Knoxville mayoral election took place on September 24, 1991, to elect the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with various other local elections. It saw the re-election of Republican Mayor Victor Ashe.

Results ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Victor Ashe (Incumbent)	11,609	72.20
	Nonpartisan	C. Robertson	3,684	22.91
	Nonpartisan	S. Evans	786	4.89
Total votes			16,079	100

1995

1995 Knoxville mayoral election

←  1991 September 26, 1995 1999  →

Candidate Victor Ashe Ivan Harmon Popular vote 12,417 6,659 Percentage 63.70% 34.16%

Mayor before election Victor Ashe Republican Elected mayor Victor Ashe Republican

The 1995 Knoxville mayoral election took place on September 26, 1995, to elect the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with various other local elections. It saw the re-election of Republican Mayor Victor Ashe.

Results ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Victor Ashe (Incumbent)	12,417	63.70
	Nonpartisan	Ivan Harmon	6,659	34.16
	Nonpartisan	G. Hamilton	303	1.55
	Nonpartisan	R. Watson	113	0.58
Total votes			19,492	100

1999

1999 Knoxville mayoral election

←  1995 September 28, 1999 2003  →

Candidate Victor Ashe Randy Tyree Popular vote 10,248 5,613 Percentage 55.99% 30.67%   Candidate Danny Mayfield Popular vote 2,145 Percentage 11.72%

Mayor before election Victor Ashe Republican Elected mayor Victor Ashe Republican

The 1999 Knoxville mayoral election took place on September 29, 1999, to elect the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with various other local elections. It saw the re-election of Republican Mayor Victor Ashe, who defeated former Democratic Mayor Randy Tyree.

Results ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Victor Ashe (Incumbent)	10,248	55.99
	Nonpartisan	Randy Tyree	5,613	30.67
	Nonpartisan	Danny Mayfield	2,145	11.72
	Nonpartisan	G. Hamilton Sr.	114	0.62
	Nonpartisan	J. Madden	104	0.57
	Nonpartisan	B. McCall	80	0.44
Total votes			18,304	100

2003

2003 Knoxville mayoral election

←  1999 September 30, 2003 2007  →

Candidate Bill Haslam Madeline Rogero Popular vote 15,730 13,864 Percentage 52.64% 46.39%

Mayor before election Victor Ashe Republican Elected mayor Bill Haslam Republican

The 2003 Knoxville mayoral election took place on September 30, 2003, to elect the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with various other local elections. Republican candidate Bill Haslam defeated Democratic candidate Madeline Rogero with 52.6% of the vote.

Haslam reached a majority in the initial round of the election, forgoing the need for a runoff to be held.

Results

Results ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Bill Haslam	15,730	52.64
	Nonpartisan	Madeline Rogero	13,864	46.39
	Nonpartisan	George Alexander Hamilton, Sr.	166	0.56
	Nonpartisan	Boyce McCall	123	0.41
Total votes			29,883	100

2007

2007 Knoxville mayoral election

←  2003 September 25, 2007 2011  →

Candidate Bill Haslam Isa Infante Popular vote 5,728 667 Percentage 87.32% 10.17%

Mayor before election Bill Haslam Republican Elected mayor Bill Haslam Republican

The 2007 Knoxville mayoral election took place on September 25, 2007 to elect the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with various other local elections; it was officially nonpartisan. It saw the re-election of incumbent Republican Bill Haslam.

Haslam reached a majority in the initial round of the election, forgoing the need for a runoff to be held.

Results

Results ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Bill Haslam (incumbent)	5,728	87.32
	Nonpartisan	Isa Infante	667	10.17
	Nonpartisan	Mark Saroff	165	2.52
Total votes			6,560

2011

2011 Knoxville mayoral election

←  2007 September 27, 2011 (first round) November 8, 2011 (runoff) 2015  →

Candidate Madeline Rogero Mark Padgett First round 8,242 49.90% 3,741 22.65% Runoff 12,441 58.50% 8,827 41.50%   Candidate Ivan Harmon First round 3,537 22.33% Runoff Eliminated

Mayor before election Daniel Brown (acting) Elected mayor Madeline Rogero Democratic

The 2011 Knoxville mayoral election took place on September 27 and November 8, 2011, to elect the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with various other local elections and was officially nonpartisan. It saw the election of Democratic candidate Madeline Rogero.

Serving as acting mayor, following the resignation of Republican mayor Bill Haslam to serve as Governor of Tennessee and in the months before the individual elected in this race would take office, was Daniel Brown, who did not seek a full term as mayor.

Since no candidate secured a majority in the first round, a runoff was held between the top two finishers.

The election saw Rogero become the first woman elected mayor of Knoxville. She is also the first woman to be elected mayor in any of the "Big Four" cities of Tennessee (Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga).

Results

First round

First round results ^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Madeline Rogero	8,242	49.90
	Nonpartisan	Mark Padgett	3,741	22.65
	Nonpartisan	Ivan Harmon	3,537	22.33
	Nonpartisan	Joe Hultquist	698	4.23
	Nonpartisan	Bo Bennett	148	0.90
Total votes			16,518

Runoff

Runoff results ^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Madeline Rogero	12,441	58.50
	Nonpartisan	Mark Padgett	8,827	41.50
Total votes			21,268
	Democratic gain from Republican

2015

2015 Knoxville mayoral election

←  2011 September 29, 2015 2019  →

Candidate Madeline Rogero Popular vote 3,711 Percentage 98.78%

Results by precinct Rogero:     <90%

Mayor before election Madeline Rogero Democratic Elected mayor Madeline Rogero Democratic

The 2015 Knoxville mayoral election took place on September 29, 2015 to elect the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with various other local elections. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Madeline Rogero won re-election with 98.8% of the vote.

Since Rogero reached a majority in the initial round of the election, no runoff was held. This was set to be the case since only two candidates were on the ballot.

Results

First round results ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Madeline Rogero (incumbent)	3,811	98.78
	Write-in	Jack Knoxville	46	1.22
Total votes			3,757

2019

2019 Knoxville mayoral election

←  2015 August 27, 2019 (first round) November 5, 2019 (runoff) 2023  →

Candidate Indya Kincannon Eddie Mannis First round 5,568 28.31% 7,005 36.64% Runoff 13,291 52.41% 12,069 47.59%   Candidate Marshall Stair First round 5,158 26.87% Runoff Eliminated

First round results by precinct Runoff results by precinct Kincannon:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Mannis:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Stair:     20–30%     30–40%     40–50%

Mayor before election Madeline Rogero Democratic Elected mayor Indya Kincannon Democratic

The 2019 Knoxville mayoral Election took place on August 27, 2019, and November 5, 2019, to elect the next mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with various other local elections. All Knoxville municipal elections are non-partisan.

Since no candidate met 50% or more of the votes, Republican candidate Eddie Mannis and Democratic candidate Indya Kincannon advanced to the November election. Indya Kincannon won the runoff election with 52.4% of the vote.

Incumbent Democratic Mayor Madeline Rogero was ineligible to run for re-election, having served the maximum of two terms. ^[13]

Candidates

Declared

• Michael Andrews, licensed barber ^{[14] [13]}
• Fletcher Burkhardt, social media specialist ^[14]
• Indya Kincannon, former Knox County School Board member (2004–2014), former chair of the Knox County School Board, former city director for Mayor Rogero ^[14]
• Eddie Mannis, former COO and deputy to Mayor Rogero, chairman of the Metropolitan Airport Authority, prominent businessman ^[14]
• Calvin Taylor Skinner, worked in community and leadership development ^[14]
• Marshall Stair, lawyer, at-large member of the Knoxville City Council (2011–2019) ^[14]

Results

First round

First round results ^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Eddie Mannis	7,005	36.64
	Nonpartisan	Indya Kincannon	5,568	28.31
	Nonpartisan	Marshall Stair	5,158	26.87
	Nonpartisan	Fletcher "Knoxville" Burkhardt	591	3.09
	Nonpartisan	Calvin Taylor Skinner	493	2.58
	Nonpartisan	Michael W. Andrews	301	1.57
Total votes			19,116

Runoff

In the runoff election, Indya Kincannon defeated Eddie Mannis.

Runoff results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Indya Kincannon	13,291	52.41
	Nonpartisan	Eddie Mannis	12,069	47.59
Total votes			25,360	100

2023

2023 Knoxville mayoral election

←  2019 August 29, 2023 2027 →

Candidate Indya Kincannon Jeff Talman Popular vote 9,431 4,808 Percentage 57.52% 29.32%   Candidate Constance Every R. C. Lawhorn Popular vote 1,328 830 Percentage 8.10% 5.06%

Kincannon:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Talman:     40–50% Tie:     40–50% No data:     40–50%

Mayor before election Indya Kincannon Democratic Elected mayor Indya Kincannon Democratic

The 2023 Knoxville mayoral election took place on August 29, 2023 to elect the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with various other local elections. All Knoxville municipal elections are non-partisan. Since Kincannon won a majority of the vote in the initial round, no runoff was needed. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Indya Kincannon was elected with 57.5% of the vote, defeating Republican ^[16] Candidate Jeff Talman.

Indya Kincannon announced her re-election campaign on November 16, 2022. ^[17] She was sworn in on December 16, 2023. ^[18]

Candidates

Declared

• Indya Kincannon, incumbent mayor ^[17]
• Jeff Talman, mortgage banker and president of the Knoxville Volunteer Rotary Club ^[19]
• Constance Every, nonprofit founder
• R.C. Lawhorn, businessman ^[20]

Results

Results ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Indya Kincannon (Incumbent)	9,431	57.52
	Nonpartisan	Jeff Talman	4,808	29.32
	Nonpartisan	Constance Every	1,328	8.10
	Nonpartisan	R.C. Lawhorn	830	5.06
Total votes			16,397	100

See also

• Elections in Tennessee
• Political party strength in Tennessee
• Government of Tennessee
• Mayoral elections in Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Mayoral elections in Clarksville, Tennessee
• Mayoral elections in Jackson, Tennessee
• Mayoral elections in Murfreesboro, Tennessee

References

1. Staff, Knox News. "Your guide to politics and elections in Knoxville | Knoxpedia". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
2. "City Election History 1981-Present". www.knoxvilletn.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
3. "Knox County Election Commission Election Returns Race Totals" (PDF). Knox County Election Commission. 16 October 1987. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
4. "Knox County Election Commission Election Returns Race Totals" (PDF). Knox County Election Commission. 16 November 1987. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
5. "City Election History 1981-Present". www.knoxvilletn.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
6. "City Election History 1981-Present". www.knoxvilletn.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
7. "City Election History 1981-Present". www.knoxvilletn.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
8. "Unofficial Tally Results - By Election". Knox County. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
9. "Cumulative Report — Unofficial Knox County, Tennessee — CITY OF KNOXVILLE PRIMARY ELECTION — September 25, 2007" (PDF). Knox County. 25 September 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
10. "Cumulative Report — Unofficial Knox County, Tennessee — City of Knoxville Primary and State Senate Special Primary Election — September 27, 2011" (PDF). Knox County. 4 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
11. "Cumulative Report — Unofficial Knox County, Tennessee — City of Knoxville Regular and Special State Senate General Election — November 08, 2011" (PDF). Knox County. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
12. "Cumulative Report — Official Knox County, Tennessee — Tennessee House 14th District Special General and |City of Knoxville Primary Election — September 29, 2015" (PDF). Knox County. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
13. "OFFICES ON THE 2019 BALLOT". knoxvilletn.gov. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
14. Whetstone, Tyler. "Who will be Knoxville's next mayor? We tell you about the candidates". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
15. "Cumulative Report — Official Knox County, Tennessee — CITY OF KNOXVILLE PRIMARY ELECTION — August 27, 2019" (PDF). Knox County. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
16. "Home". Talman For Mayor. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
17. "Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon announces she is seeking reelection in 2023". WBIR.com. WBIR. November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
18. "indya kincannon sworn in as mayor - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
19. "About". Talman For Mayor. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
20. "About Me". R C Lawhorn for Mayor. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
21. "August 2023 Election Results". Knox County. Retrieved November 9, 2023.