Global Information2018 Louisville mayoral election information
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The 2018 Louisville mayoral election was the fifth quadrennial Louisville Metro mayoral election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. The Democratic ticket of incumbent mayor and businessman Greg Fischer was elected to his third and final term. He defeated the Republican ticket of engineer and former Louisville Metro Councilwoman Angela Leet.[1]
As the incumbent mayor, Fischer secured his party's nomination with little resistance. Despite the presence of five total candidates on the Democratic primary ballot, Fischer won the primary with a resounding 75% of the vote. The Republicans experienced a slightly more competitive primary, despite having only two candidates total. Leet clinched her party's nomination in May, defeating Bob DeVore, the Republican nominee for Mayor of Louisville in 2014.[2]
Fischer and Leet were challenged in the general election ballot by a total of seven nonpartisan and independent candidates. Nine total candidates appeared on the 2018 General Election ballot. Despite having participated in previous mayoral elections and having a presence in Louisville, the Green and Libertarian parties did not field candidates in the 2018 race.[3][4]
The campaigns focused heavily on local issues, with both candidates having centered their campaigns on completely different issues. Fischer campaigned on a record he described as one of "unprecedented growth" — specifically citing over 2,700 new businesses and $13 billion in capital investment. In contrast, Leet focused heavily on crime, specifically the sharp increase in Louisville's homicide rate, over the course of Fischer's tenure.[5] The campaign was marked by record levels of fundraising, with over $2 million being raised from both sides. The Fischer campaign raised approximately $1.6 million, which stands in stark contrast to the Leet campaign, who only managed to raise $458,400 total, with about $200,000 coming out of her own pocket for the general election.[6]
Fischer defeated Leet, winning an overwhelming majority of the popular vote. Fischer won 61.3% of the popular vote compared to Leet's 36.5%. Despite receiving approximately five thousand more votes than in the 2014 Louisville mayoral election, Fischer's overall percentage of votes received was lower than in 2014, where he received 68.5% of the vote. Fischer became the second mayor in Louisville's history to win a third term, and the first mayor to do so under the Consolidated city–county government. He will be unable to run again in 2022 due to term limits set by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1986. Fischer was sworn in for his final term on January 8, 2019.[7]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
2018Rwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
2018 Primary Resultswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Libertarian Candidates in Kentucky, 2018". Libertarian Party (US). Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- ^ "Green Party Candidates, 2018". Green Party of the United States. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- ^ Costello, Darcy (October 15, 2018). "Louisville's mayoral race: Fischer and Leet a contrast in style". The Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on April 28, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ Ross, Allison; Bailey, Phillip (November 7, 2018). "Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer is popular in the 'burbs, for a Democrat". Louisville Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on April 28, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ Grace, Caray (January 8, 2019). "Fischer to be sworn in for third terms as Louisville Mayor". WLKY. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.