.svg)
2023 Akron mayoral election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2023 Akron mayoral election was held on November 7, 2023, to elect the mayor of Akron, Ohio. Party primaries were held on May 2. Incumbent Democratic mayor Dan Horrigan chose not to seek re-election to a third term in office.
November 7, 2023
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
In the Democratic primary, Ward 8 city councilor Shammas Malik won the nomination, prevailing in a field of seven candidates. Because the sole Republican candidate was disqualified, Malik was considered the presumptive next mayor of Akron.[1] Malik was the only candidate on the ballot, as the only other person who qualified for the race was write-in candidate Nathaniel Green. He defeated Green with 95.72% of the vote.[2]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Shammas Malik, city councilor[3]
Eliminated in primary
- Mark Greer, former Akron Small Business Program Manager[4]
- Keith Mills, teacher[4]
- Tara Mosley, city councilor and candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio in 2018[5]
- Joshua Schaffer, cellphone store manager[4]
- Marco Sommerville, deputy mayor for intergovernmental affairs[6]
- Jeff Wilhite, Summit County councilor[7]
Declined
- Dan Horrigan, incumbent mayor[8] (endorsed Sommerville)[9]
Fundraising
Some candidates have not filed campaign finance disclosures. Those who have are listed below:
Endorsements
Shammas Malik (D)
- State legislators
- Casey Weinstein, state representative from the 34th district (2019–present)[15]
- Editorial boards
- Organizations
- Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund[18]
- People's Action Ohio[19]
- Sierra Club Ohio - Portage Trail Group[18]
- University of Akron College Democrats[20]
Tara Mosley (D)
- Local officials
- Michael Williams, former at-large Akron city councilor (1997–2015)[21]
- Individuals
- Cornel West, philosopher and honorary chairman of Democratic Socialists of America[22]
- Organizations
- Black Elected Officials of Summit County - 20 TBA local officials[23]
- Our Revolution[24]
Marco Sommerville (D)
- U.S. Representatives
- Shontel Brown, U.S. Representative from OH-11 (2021–present)[25]
- Tom Sawyer, former U.S. Representative from OH-14 (1987–2003) and former Mayor of Akron (1984–1986)[17]
- Countywide officials
- Sherri Bevan Walsh, Summit County Prosecuting Attorney (2001–present)[25]
- Local officials
- Ginger Baylor, at-large Akron city councilor (2020–present)[25]
- Jeff Fusco, former acting Mayor of Akron (2015) and at-large Akron City Council (1994–1997, 2010–present)[25]
- David James, former Akron Public Schools Superintendent (2003–2021)[25]
- Dan Horrigan, outgoing Mayor of Akron (2016–present)[9]
- Phil Lombardo, Akron city councilor from ward 2 (2020–present)[25]
- Brad McKitrick, Akron city councilor from ward 6 (2020–present)[25]
- Don Plusquellic, former Mayor of Akron (1987–2015)[17]
- Margo Sommerville, Akron city council president from ward 3 (2013–present) (his daughter)[25]
- Labor unions
Declined to endorse
- Local officials
- Nancy Holland, Akron city councilor from ward 1 (2021–present)[25]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Greer | Malik | Mills | Mosley | Schaffer | Somerville | Wilhite | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center for Media & Opinion Research[26][b] | March 27 – April 2, 2023 | 400 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 3% | 18% | 3% | 15% | 5% | 17% | 6% | – | 33% |
| Center for Media & Opinion Research[27][c] | January 17 – February 4, 2023 | 510 (A) | ± 4.3% | – | 8% | – | 7% | 3% | 12% | 4% | 2% | 66% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Shammas Malik | 8,303 | 43.15 | |
| Democratic | Marco Sommerville | 4,944 | 25.70 | |
| Democratic | Tara Mosley | 3,361 | 17.47 | |
| Democratic | Jeff Wilhite | 1,549 | 8.05 | |
| Democratic | Mark Greer | 816 | 4.24 | |
| Democratic | Keith Mills | 143 | 0.74 | |
| Democratic | Joshua Schaffer | 124 | 0.64 | |
| Total votes | 19,240 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Disqualified
- Jim Isabella, former WNIR talk show host[29][30]
Independents
Certified
- Nathaniel Green (write-in)[31]
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Shammas Malik | 36,629 | 95.72 | |
| Write-in | 1,638 | 4.28 | ||
| write-in | Nathaniel Green | 172 | 0.45 | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 1,466 | 3.83 | ||
| Total votes | 38,267 | 100 | ||
