2015 Philadelphia mayoral election

2015 Philadelphia mayoral election

← 2011 November 3, 2015 2019 →
Turnout21.84%[1] Increase
 
Nominee Jim Kenney Melissa Murray Bailey
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 203,730 31,563
Percentage 85.36% 13.23%

Results by ward
Kenney:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

Mayor before election

Michael Nutter
Democratic

Elected mayor

Jim Kenney
Democratic

The 2015 Philadelphia mayoral election was held on November 3, 2015, to elect the Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, concurrently with various other state and local elections. Heavily favored Democratic party candidate Jim Kenney won.[2]

Incumbent Democratic party Mayor Michael Nutter could not run for re-election to a third consecutive term due to term limits in the city's home rule charter.[3] Registered Democrats hold a formidable 7-to-1 ratio over registered Republicans in Philadelphia, giving Democratic candidates a distinct advantage in citywide elections.[4]

The mayoral primary elections were held on May 19, 2015. 27% of the city's registered voters voted in the primaries.[5] Democrats nominated Jim Kenney, a member of the Philadelphia City Council, as their party's nominee. Kenney won the primary in a landslide with 55.83% of the vote, defeating a crowded field of five other Democratic candidates, including Anthony H. Williams and former District Attorney Lynn Abraham.[6] Republican Melissa Murray Bailey, a business executive, ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.[6] Had she been elected, Bailey would have become Philadelphia's first female mayor, as well as the city's first Republican mayor in more than 60 years.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference GeneralResults was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Jim Kenney elected mayor of Philadelphia". 6abc.com. November 4, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  3. ^ "Committee of Seventy – November 3, 2015 General Election". Seventy.org. November 3, 2015. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Rudeman, Wendy (March 30, 2015). "The Interview: Melissa Murray Bailey, Philly's only Republican mayoral candidate". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on April 24, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  5. ^ Otterbein, Olly (May 27, 2015). "Why Voter Turnout Sucked in Philly's Mayoral Race". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Hepp, Chris (May 20, 2015). "Landslide: Kenney romps in Philly mayor's race". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 2, 2015.