2023 Portland, Maine mayoral election
The 2023 Portland, Maine mayoral election will be held on November 7, 2023, to elect the mayor of Portland, Maine. The election will be nonpartisan. Since 1923, municipal elections in Portland have not included formal partisan nominations. In September 2022, Mayor Kate Snyder announced that she would not seek re-election to a second term in office.[1][2]
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Background
Nomination papers for mayor, city council and school board were not available until June 30 and must be returned between August 14 and August 28.[3]
Mayoral elections in Portland are elected using instant-runoff voting,[4] a form of ranked-choice voting that the city has used since 2011.
Candidates
Official
- Pious Ali, at-large city councilor[5]
- Justin Costa, former city councilor[6]
- Mark Dion, city councilor, former state senator, former Cumberland County Sheriff, and candidate for governor in 2018 (Party affiliation: Democratic)[7]
- Dylan Pugh, software developer (Party affiliation: Democratic)[8][9]
- Andrew Zarro, city councilor, District 4 (Party affiliation: Democratic)[9]
Declined
- Emily Figdor, member and former chair of the Portland Board of Education[10]
- Michael Kebede, former chair of the Portland Charter Commission[10]
- Kate Snyder, incumbent mayor (Party affiliation: Democratic)[1][2]
- Ethan Strimling, former mayor (Party affiliation: Democratic)[10][11]
Endorsements
- Local officials
- Kate Snyder, incumbent mayor (2019–present) (first choice)[12]
- Local officials
- Kate Snyder,, incumbent mayor (2019–present) (second choice)[12]
Campaign
The major issues in the mayoral campaign included the ongoing housing crisis and homelessness crisis in the city.[13] The 2023 point-in-time count noted 4,258 unhoused individuals, 25% of which were considered chronically homeless.[14]
Another issue discussed on the campaign trail was a rise in hate speech.[13] Ali faced threats and harassment from the New England White Network,[15] City Council meetings faced zoom bombing,[16] and anti-semitic flyers were placed around the community on September 11.[17]
References
- Ohm, Rachel (12 September 2022). "Portland Mayor Kate Snyder won't seek reelection in 2023". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- Hirschkorn, Phil (13 September 2022). "Portland mayor opts out of second term, will campaign to preserve current system of government". WMTW. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- "Race for Portland mayor heats up as City Councilor Andrew Zarro enters". Yahoo Finance. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
- Ranked Choice Voting City of Portland, Maine
- Hoey, Dennis (2023-08-01). "City Councilor Pious Ali joins growing field in Portland mayoral race". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- Ohm, Rachel (2023-07-18). "Former Portland city councilor enters race for mayor". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- Bartow, Adam (2023-06-29). "Portland city councilor, former sheriff, announces run for mayor". WMTW. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- "New candidate for Portland mayor throws hat in the race".
- Ohm, Rachel (9 May 2023). "Race for Portland mayor heats up as City Councilor Andrew Zarro enters". Press Herald.
- Ohm, Rachel (13 September 2022). "With Kate Snyder stepping aside, who will run for Portland mayor?". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- "Despite Election Day failures, progressive reforms could still be in Portland's future".
Strimling, who lost to Snyder in 2019, said he has "no plans" to run for a vacant mayor position in 2023
- Writer, Grace BenninghoffStaff (2023-10-19). "Kate Snyder endorses Mark Dion, Andrew Zarro for Portland mayor". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
- Cover, Susan (21 September 2023). "Portland mayoral candidates address homelessness crisis". Spectrum News. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- Bader, Emily (21 May 2023). "Homeless people ponder next destination as Portland housing crisis intensifies". The Maine Monitor. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- "Pious Ali on LinkedIn: Hello, Portland community! I don't usually share the racist attacks I… | 16 comments". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- Clarke, Talia (20 September 2023). "Hate speech disrupts Portland City Council meeting, brings Mayor to tears". WMTW. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- Bennett, Troy R. (11 September 2023). "Antisemitic 9/11 flyers appear in Portland on anniversary of attacks". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 1 October 2023.