Mayoral elections in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Elections are held in Fort Wayne, Indiana to elect the city's mayor. Currently, such elections are regularly scheduled to be held every four years, in the year immediately preceding that of United States presidential elections.

Elections before 1987

1987

1987 Fort Wayne mayoral election

← 1983November 3, 19871991 →
 
NomineePaul HelmkeWinfield Moses
PartyRepublicanDemocratic
Popular vote26,194%24,179
Percentage52.00%48.00%

Mayor before election

Winfield Moses
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Paul Helmke
Republican

The 1987 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 3, 1987, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Republican Paul Helmke, who unseated Democratic incumbent Winfield Moses.

1987 Fort Wayne mayoral election[1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanPaul Helmke 26,194 52.00
DemocraticWinfield Moses (incumbent)24,17948.00
Total votes50,373 100

1991

1991 Fort Wayne mayoral election

← 1987November 5, 19911995 →
 
Nominee Paul HelmkeCharlie Belch
PartyRepublicanDemocratic
Popular vote21,415%14,766
Percentage59.19%40.81%

Mayor before election

Paul Helmke
Republican

Elected Mayor

Paul Helmke
Republican

The 1991 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5, 1991, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Republican incumbent Paul Helmke.

1991 Fort Wayne mayoral election[1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanPaul Helmke (incumbent) 21,415 59.19
DemocraticCharlie Belch14,76640.81
Total votes36,181 100

1995

1995 Fort Wayne mayoral election

← 1991November 7, 19951999 →
 
Nominee Paul HelmkeThomas Essex
PartyRepublicanDemocratic
Popular vote21,90911,033
Percentage64.49%32.48%

Mayor before election

Paul Helmke
Republican

Elected Mayor

Paul Helmke
Republican

The 1995 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 7, 1995, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Republican incumbent Paul Helmke. As of 2023, this is the last time a Republican was elected Mayor of Fort Wayne.

Nominations

Democratic primary

Wayne Township Trustee Thomas Essex won the Democratic primary with 4,056 votes.[2]

Republican primary

Some Republicans speculated that Helmke, who had ties to the Clinton administration, might have been endangered in his primary. However, contrarily, he handily won his primary with 75% of the vote (7,717 votes).[2]

Libertarian nomination

Libertarians nominated William Kempf.

General election

The race was projected by Howey Political Report to be "safe Republican", with Helmke anticipated to be easily reelected.[3][4]

1995 Fort Wayne mayoral election[5][6]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanPaul Helmke (incumbent) 21,909 64.49
DemocraticThomas Essex11,03332.48
LibertarianWilliam Kempf1,0293.03
Total votes33,971 100

1999

1999 Fort Wayne mayoral election

← 1995November 2, 19992003 →
Turnout34%
 
Nominee Graham RichardLinda Buskirk
PartyDemocraticRepublican
Popular vote21,60721,531
Percentage50.07%49.89%

Mayor before election

Paul Helmke
Republican

Elected Mayor

Graham Richard
Democratic

The 1999 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 2, 1999, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Democrat Graham Richard, who defeated Republican Linda Buskirk by a narrow margin.

Nominations

Democratic primary

Running for the Democratic nomination was Graham Richard, Agnes Hopkins, and David Roach.[7]

1999 Fort Wayne Democratic mayoral primary[8]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticGraham Richard 5,568 79.13
DemocraticAgnes Fitzgerald Hopkins94013.36
DemocraticDave "Fort Wayne's Most Wanted" Roach5297.52
Total votes7,037 100

Republican primary

Running for the Republican nomination was Linda Buskirk and Allen County Sheriff Joe Squadrito.[7] While he had been seen as a frontrunner,[7] Squadrito ultimately lost the primary to Buskirk.

1999 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary[9]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanLinda Buskirk 9,540 52.10
RepublicanJoseph Martin Squadrito8,77247.90
Total votes18,312 100

Independent candidates

Independent candidates Sherri Emerson and William B. Dinkins also ran.

General election

1999 Fort Wayne mayoral election[10][11]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticGraham Richard 21,607 50.07
RepublicanLinda Buskirk21,53149.89
IndependentSherri Emerson140.03
IndependentWilliam B. Dinkins30.01
Turnout43,15534

2003

2003 Fort Wayne mayoral election

← 1999November 4, 2003[12]2007 →
 
Nominee Graham RichardLinda Buskirk
PartyDemocraticRepublican
Popular vote27,27919,717
Percentage58.00%41.92%

Mayor before election

Graham Richard
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Graham Richard
Democratic

The 2003 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 4 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, US. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Graham Richard, who again defeated Republican Linda Buskirk in what was a rematch of the 1999 election.

Nominations

Primary elections were held May 8.[13]

During its primaries, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 11.9%.[13]

Democratic primary

Democratic primary results[13]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticGraham Richard (incumbent) 5,061 88.85
DemocraticCharles Eberhard3305.79
DemocraticThomas Allen Schrader1672.93
DemocraticDavid Christopher "Papa" Roach1382.42
Total votes5,696 100

Republican primary

Republican primary results[13]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanLinda Buskirk 8,233 88.26
RepublicanO. "Bro" Blye1,09511.74
Total votes9,328 100

General election

The election was projected as a "tossup".[14] Despite the race having been projected to be close, Richard won a sizable victory over Buskirk.[15]

During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 30.63%.[12]

2003 was a good year for Democrats in Indiana's mayoral elections, with the party winning control of the mayoralties of all of the state's top seven most populous cities for the first time since 1959.[15] The Democratic Party also won control of the mayoralties in twenty of the state's thirty cities with populations above 25,000.[15] Additionally, in 2003, Democrats won more than 56% of partisan mayoral races in Indiana.[16]

During the general election, Allen County, where Fort Wayne is located, saw voter turnout of 25% in its various elections.[17]

2003 Fort Wayne mayoral election[12]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticGraham Richard (incumbent) 27,279 58.00
RepublicanLinda Buskirk19,71741.92
Write-inOthers380.08
Total votes47,031 100

2007

2007 Fort Wayne mayoral election

← 2003November 6, 2007[18]2011 →
 
Nominee Tom HenryMatt Kelty
PartyDemocraticRepublican
Popular vote31,74021,163
Percentage60%40%

Mayor before election

Graham Richard
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Tom Henry
Democratic

The 2007 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 6 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Democrat Tom Henry.

Incumbent mayor Graham Richard did not seek reelection to a third term.

Nominations

Primary elections were held May 8.[19]

Democratic primary

2007 Fort Wayne Democratic mayoral primary[19]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticTom Henry 4,921 82.44
DemocraticTom Cook80413.47
DemocraticFrederick F. Steinke2444.09
Total votes5,969 100

Republican primary

2007 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary[19]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanMatt Kelty 9,123 50.29
RepublicanNelson Peters8,46546.66
RepublicanIvan R. Hood3281.81
RepublicanTeresa L. Licari1150.63
RepublicanWilbert "Duke" Brown1110.61
Total votes18,142 100

General election

In August, Kelty was indicted over perjury and campaign finance charges. While he denied wrongdoing, this story dominated the campaign.[20]

During the general election, Allen County, where Fort Wayne is located, saw voter turnout of 21% in its various elections.[21]

2007 Fort Wayne mayoral election[18]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticTom Henry 31,740 60.00
RepublicanMatt Kelty21,16340.00
Total votes52,903 100

Aftermath

In October 2008, Kelty pleaded guilty to several of the campaign finance charges brought against him.[22]

Henry would go on to be reelected in 2011, 2015, and 2019.

2011

2011 Fort Wayne mayoral election

← 2007November 8, 2011[23]2015 →
 
Nominee Tom HenryPaula Hughes
PartyDemocraticRepublican
Popular vote23,16621,520
Percentage49.85%46.31%

Mayor before election

Tom Henry
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Tom Henry
Democratic

The 2011 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 8 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Democrat Tom Henry.

Nominations

Primary elections were held May 3.[24]

During the primary elections, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 12.78%.[24]

Democratic primary

2011 Fort Wayne Democratic mayoral primary[24]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticTom Henry (incumbent) 4,391 85.96
DemocraticTom Cook3466.77
DemocraticCharles Eberhard1593.11
DemocraticD. C. "Mr. Roachclip" Roach1162.27
DemocraticFrederick F. Steinke961.88
Total votes5,108 100

Republican primary

2011 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary[24]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanPaula Hughes 9,241 55.67
RepublicanElizabeth "Liz" Brown4,18825.23
RepublicanEric Doden3,03118.26
RepublicanWilbert "Duke" Brown1110.61
RepublicanTerrence Richard Walker790.48
Total votes16,601 100

General election

During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 26.21%.[23]

2011 Fort Wayne mayoral election[23]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticTom Henry (incumbent) 23,166 49.85
RepublicanPaula Hughes21,52046.31
IndependentD. Haley Ahrend1,7823.83
Total votes46,468 100

2015

2015 Fort Wayne mayoral election

← 2011November 3, 2015[25]2019 →
 
Nominee Tom HenryMitch Harper
PartyDemocraticRepublican
Popular vote23,76918,068
Percentage56.81%43.19%

Mayor before election

Tom Henry
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Tom Henry
Democratic

The 2015 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 3 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Democrat Tom Henry to a third term.

Nominations

Primary elections were held May 5.[26]

During the primary elections, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 9.82%.[26]

Democratic primary

2015 Fort Wayne Democratic primary [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticTom Henry (incumbent) 5,676 76.51
DemocraticRichard "Rick" Stevenson Sr.1,39618.82
DemocraticTom M. Cook2192.95
DemocraticDavid Christopher Roach1281.73
Total votes7,419 100

Republican primary

2015 Fort Wayne Republican primary[26]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanMitch Harper 8,475 83.68
RepublicanWilliam E. "Bill" Collins7056.96
RepublicanRobert "Rob" Bastian6936.84
RepublicanFrederick G. Osheskie Sr.2552.52
Total votes10,128 100

General election

During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 22.49%.[25]

2015 Fort Wayne mayoral election[25]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticTom Henry (incumbent) 23,769 56.81
RepublicanMitch Harper18,06843.19
Total votes41,837 100

2019

2019 Fort Wayne mayoral election

← 2015November 5, 20192023 →
 
Nominee Tom HenryTim Smith
PartyDemocraticRepublican
Popular vote32,57120,643
Percentage61.74%38.26%

Mayor before election

Tom Henry
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Tom Henry
Democratic

The 2019 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Incumbent mayor Tom Henry was reelected to a fourth term.

Nominations

Primary elections were held May 7.[27]

Democratic primary

Democratic primary results[27]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticTom Henry (incumbent) 6,797 86.17
DemocraticGina M. Burgess87511.09
DemocraticTommy A. Schrader2162.74
Total votes7,888 100

Republican primary

2019 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary[27]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanTim Smith 9,065 56.39
RepublicanJohn Crawford6,77642.15
RepublicanDavid Christopher Roach2351.46
Total votes16,076 100

General election

Earlier in the campaign Henry was thought to be vulnerable, but the race ended up not being close. In his victory speech, Henry announced that it would be his last term as mayor, though he later decided to run for a fifth term against businessman Tim Didier for 2023. He was sworn in for his fourth term on January 1, 2020. His fourth term will expire on January 1, 2024.

2019 Fort Wayne mayoral election[28]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
DemocraticThomas C. Henry (Incumbent) 32,571 61.21% +4.40%
RepublicanTimothy Smith20,64338.79%-4.40%
Write-in
Turnout53,214
Majority11,92822.42%100.00%
Democratic holdSwing

2023

2023 Fort Wayne mayoral election

← 2019November 7, 20232027 →
 
Nominee Tom HenryThomas Didier
PartyDemocraticRepublican
Popular vote23,94522,210
Percentage51.88%48.12%

Mayor before election

Tom Henry
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Tom Henry
Democratic

The 2023 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Incumbent mayor Tom Henry was reelected to a fifth term.

2023 Fort Wayne mayoral election[29]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
DemocraticThomas C. Henry (Incumbent) 23,945 51.88% -9.86%
RepublicanThomas Didier22,21048.12%+9.86%
Write-in
Turnout46,155100.00%
Majority1,7353.76%100.00%
Democratic holdSwing


References