2015 Memphis mayoral election

The 2015 Memphis mayoral election took place on October 8, 2015, to elect the next mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic Mayor A C Wharton ran for re-election to a second full term in office. He was defeated by Memphis City Councilman Jim Strickland, a fellow Democrat, who earned a plurality of the vote and became the first White mayor of Memphis in more than two decades.

The election was officially non-partisan, but each candidate was affiliated with a political party. The mayoral election coincided with elections for the thirteen seats on the Memphis City Council. Due to the 1991 ruling of U.S. District Judge Jerome Turner, there is no runoff allowed in citywide elections.

Declared

 * Harold Collins, Memphis City Councillor
 * Jim Strickland, Chairman of the Memphis City Council
 * A C Wharton, incumbent Mayor
 * Mike Williams, President of the Memphis Police Association

Potential/Withdrew

 * Steve Basar, Shelby County Commissioner
 * Carol Chumney, former State Representative, former Memphis City Councillor and candidate for Mayor in 2007 and 2009
 * Justin Ford, Shelby County Commissioner and member of the Ford family
 * Detric Golden, former University of Memphis basketball player
 * James Harvey, former Shelby County Commissioner and candidate for Mayor in 2011
 * Kenneth Whalum, minister, former School Board member, candidate for Mayor in 2011 and candidate for Mayor of Shelby County in 2014

Declined

 * Edmund Ford Sr., Memphis City Councillor and candidate for Mayor in 2011
 * Myron Lowery, Memphis City Councillor, former Mayor pro tempore and candidate for Mayor in 2009
 * Jason Smith, State Senator and President of Smith Property Group

Results
A C Wharton was first elected Mayor of Memphis in a 2009 special election following the resignation of Mayor Willie Herenton; he was elected to a full term in 2011. As mayor, Wharton oversaw the city's response to the 2009 recession and subsequent budget cuts.

Wharton defended his record as mayor, but faced criticism from his challengers on Memphis' high crime rates, slow economic growth, and Wharton's benefits cuts to city workers. Strickland painted himself as a "law and order" candidate and promised to crack down on violent crime in the city, while Harold Collins called for a data-based approach to crime and for increased job training for Memphis residents.

On Election Day, Strickland defeated Wharton by nearly twenty percentage points, winning a plurality of the vote.