2023 Salt Lake City mayoral election

The 2023 Salt Lake City mayoral election took place on November 21, 2023, to elect the mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah. The election was officially nonpartisan. Incumbent mayor Erin Mendenhall won reelection to a second term in office, defeating former mayor Rocky Anderson and filmmaker Michael Valentine. This was the first mayoral election in the city's history to utilize ranked-choice voting, although Mendenhall won a majority of votes in the initial round, so no ranked-choice tabulation was necessary.^[1]

Candidates

Declared

Rocky Anderson, former mayor (party affiliation: Democratic)^[2]
Erin Mendenhall, incumbent mayor (party affiliation: Democratic)^[3]
Michael Valentine, filmmaker^[4]

Endorsements

Rocky Anderson

State legislators

Phil Lyman, state representative from the 69th district (2019–present) (Republican)^[5]

Individuals

David Ibarra, 2019 mayoral candidate^[6]

Political parties

Utah and Salt Lake County Democratic Party Black Caucus^[7]

Erin Mendenhall

U.S. Representatives

Ben McAdams, former U.S. Representative from UT-04 (2019–2021) and former mayor of Salt Lake County (2013–2019)^[3]
Karen Shepherd, former U.S. Representative from UT-02 (1993–1995)^[8]

State officials

Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah (2021–present) (Republican)^[9]
Gary Herbert, former Governor of Utah (2009–2021) (Republican)^[10]

State senators

Nate Blouin, state senator from the 13th district (2023–present)^[11]
Stephanie Pitcher, state senator from the 14th district (2023–present)^[8]

State representatives

Joel Briscoe, state representative from the 24th district (2010–present)^[8]
Jennifer Dailey-Provost, state representative from the 22nd district (2019–present)^[8]
Sandra Hollins, state representative from the 21st district (2015–present)^[8]
Brian King, state representative from the 23rd district (2009–present)^[8]
Angela Romero, Utah House of Representatives Minority Leader (2023–present) from the 25th district (2013–present)^[8]

Municipal officials

Jim Bradley, at-large Salt Lake County Councilor (2000–present)^[8]
Arlyn Bradshaw, Salt Lake County Councilor from the 1st district (2010–present)^[8]
Ann Granato, Salt Lake County Councilor from the 4th district (2018–present)^[8]
Suzanne Harrison, at-large Salt Lake County Councilor (2023–present)^[8]
Jenny Wilson, mayor of Salt Lake County (2019–present)^[12]

Local officials

All 7 Salt Lake City Council members^[13]
Ralph Becker, former mayor of Salt Lake City (2008–2016)^[14]
Palmer DePaulis, former mayor of Salt Lake City (1985–1992)^[14]
Esther Stowell, vice chair of the Poplar Grove Community Council^[3]
Ted Wilson, former mayor of Salt Lake City (1976–1985)^[15]

Labor unions

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1004^[8]
International Association of Fire Fighters Locals 81 and 1696^[16]^[8]
International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 57^[8]
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 57^[8]
International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1^[8]
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 3^[8]
Laborers' International Union of North America Local 295^[8]
Salt Lake City Police Association^[8]
United Association Local 140^[8]
Utah AFL-CIO and Central Utah AFL-CIO^[17]^[8]
Utah and Salt Lake City Education Association PAC^[18]
Utah Federation of Teachers^[8]

Organizations

314 Action^[19]
EMILY's List^[20]
Equality Utah^[21]
Planned Parenthood Action Council of Utah^[22]

Michael Valentine

Individuals

Cornel West, social critic^[23]

Organizations

Salt Lake City Democratic Socialists of America^[24]

Campaign finances


Campaign finances^[25]	Total spending	Cash on hand
Erin Mendenhall	$480,000	$291,000
Rocky Anderson	$231,000	$83,000
Michael Valentine	$2,000	$367

Results

2023 Salt Lake City mayoral election
Candidate	Round 1
Candidate	Votes	%
Erin Mendenhall (incumbent)	25,770	58.48%
Rocky Anderson	15,183	34.46%
Michael Valentine	3,113	7.06%
Total	44,066	100.00%

References

^ Parihar, Shiv (May 17, 2023). "Rocky's Bold Leadership". Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
^ Abramsky, Sasha (August 11, 2023). "A Progressive Icon Returns to Western Politics". The Nation. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Williams, Carter (April 12, 2023). "'Our work isn't finished': Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall to seek 2nd term". Deseret News. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
^ Bojórquez, Kim (October 30, 2023). "Meet Salt Lake City mayoral candidate Michael Valentine". Axios. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
^ Cortez, Marjorie (November 10, 2023). "Utah's current, former GOP governors endorse S.L. Mayor Mendenhall's reelection". Deseret News. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
^ Ibarra, David R. (May 15, 2023). "David R. Ibarra: Hollywood leadership style not working for Salt Lake City". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
^ Utah Democrats Black Caucus [@UtahBlackDems] (October 9, 2023). "Rocky Anderson: Salt Lake City, Mayor endorsed by Black Salt Lake Democratic Party Caucus" (Tweet). Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Twitter.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v Wood, Benjamin (September 20, 2023). "Former Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker endorses Mayor Erin Mendenhall's reelection". Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ Anderson Stern, Emily (November 10, 2023). "'A far superior choice': Gov. Cox endorses Mayor Erin Mendenhall for reelection in Salt Lake City". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ Cortez, Marjorie (November 10, 2023). "Utah's current, former GOP governors endorse S.L. Mayor Mendenhall's reelection". Deseret News. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ Jolley, Calvin (September 13, 2023). "Mendenhall talks about "partnerships," but Rocky Anderson actually built them". Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ Wilson, Jenny (December 15, 2022). "Jenny Wilson: Rocky Anderson's divisive style would be a set-back for Salt Lake City". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^ Bojórquez, Kim (August 24, 2023). "Mendenhall secures unanimous City Council endorsement in mayoral race". Axios. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Williams, Carter (September 20, 2023). "Ex-Salt Lake mayor picks favorite in heated race between current, former mayors". KSL. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ Tan, Chin Tung (April 12, 2023). "Erin Mendenhall announces re-election campaign for Salt Lake City mayor". ABC News 4. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
^ Salt Lake City Firefighters [@salt_lake_city_firefighters] (August 19, 2023). "We had a good time talking with our neighbors about our friend Mayor Erin Mendenhall! @erinforslc has been with us every step of the way while we work to keep our city safe, and we're proud to support Erin Mendenhall for Salt Lake City". Instagram. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ "2023 Municipal Political Endorsements! Utah AFL-CIO". Utah AFL-CIO. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^ "Political Action: Who We Endorse". SLEA and UEA PAC. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ "Endorsed Candidates - State Legislative and Municipal: Utah". 314 Action. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
^ Wang, Danni (July 24, 2023). "EMILYs List Endorses Erin Mendenhall for Reelection as Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah". EMILYs List. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
^ Equality Utah (@EqualityUtah) (September 19, 2023). "When it comes to who we choose to endorse, we take thoughtful consideration, especially for our beloved capital city. [...] With so much pride, we rally behind Mayor Mendenhall for Salt Lake City Mayor in 2024". Instagram. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ "Utah Endorsements: 2023 Endorsed Candidates". Planned Parenthood Action. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
^ Benson, Samuel (November 20, 2023). "The philosopher-in-chief". Deseret News. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
^ "Salt Lake DSA Endorses Michael Valentine for Salt Lake City Mayor". Salt Lake DSA. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
^ Bojórquez, Kim. "Mendenhall leads in money race for Salt Lake City mayor". Axios Salt Lake City. Axios Media. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

[1] Parihar, Shiv (May 17, 2023). "Rocky's Bold Leadership". Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved July 3, 2023.

[2] Abramsky, Sasha (August 11, 2023). "A Progressive Icon Returns to Western Politics". The Nation. Retrieved November 12, 2023.

[deseret-3] Williams, Carter (April 12, 2023). "'Our work isn't finished': Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall to seek 2nd term". Deseret News. Retrieved April 12, 2023.

[4] Bojórquez, Kim (October 30, 2023). "Meet Salt Lake City mayoral candidate Michael Valentine". Axios. Retrieved November 27, 2023.

[5] Cortez, Marjorie (November 10, 2023). "Utah's current, former GOP governors endorse S.L. Mayor Mendenhall's reelection". Deseret News. Retrieved November 12, 2023.

[6] Ibarra, David R. (May 15, 2023). "David R. Ibarra: Hollywood leadership style not working for Salt Lake City". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2023.

[7] Utah Democrats Black Caucus [@UtahBlackDems] (October 9, 2023). "Rocky Anderson: Salt Lake City, Mayor endorsed by Black Salt Lake Democratic Party Caucus" (Tweet). Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Twitter.

[erinendo-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v Wood, Benjamin (September 20, 2023). "Former Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker endorses Mayor Erin Mendenhall's reelection". Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

[9] Anderson Stern, Emily (November 10, 2023). "'A far superior choice': Gov. Cox endorses Mayor Erin Mendenhall for reelection in Salt Lake City". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 10, 2023.

[10] Cortez, Marjorie (November 10, 2023). "Utah's current, former GOP governors endorse S.L. Mayor Mendenhall's reelection". Deseret News. Retrieved November 10, 2023.

[11] Jolley, Calvin (September 13, 2023). "Mendenhall talks about "partnerships," but Rocky Anderson actually built them". Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

[12] Wilson, Jenny (December 15, 2022). "Jenny Wilson: Rocky Anderson's divisive style would be a set-back for Salt Lake City". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved January 31, 2023.

[13] Bojórquez, Kim (August 24, 2023). "Mendenhall secures unanimous City Council endorsement in mayoral race". Axios. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

[mayors-14] Williams, Carter (September 20, 2023). "Ex-Salt Lake mayor picks favorite in heated race between current, former mayors". KSL. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

[abc4-15] Tan, Chin Tung (April 12, 2023). "Erin Mendenhall announces re-election campaign for Salt Lake City mayor". ABC News 4. Retrieved April 12, 2023.

[16] Salt Lake City Firefighters [@salt_lake_city_firefighters] (August 19, 2023). "We had a good time talking with our neighbors about our friend Mayor Erin Mendenhall! @erinforslc has been with us every step of the way while we work to keep our city safe, and we're proud to support Erin Mendenhall for Salt Lake City". Instagram. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

[17] "2023 Municipal Political Endorsements! Utah AFL-CIO". Utah AFL-CIO. Retrieved January 31, 2023.

[18] "Political Action: Who We Endorse". SLEA and UEA PAC. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

[19] "Endorsed Candidates - State Legislative and Municipal: Utah". 314 Action. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.

[emily-20] Wang, Danni (July 24, 2023). "EMILYs List Endorses Erin Mendenhall for Reelection as Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah". EMILYs List. Retrieved July 25, 2023.

[21] Equality Utah (@EqualityUtah) (September 19, 2023). "When it comes to who we choose to endorse, we take thoughtful consideration, especially for our beloved capital city. [...] With so much pride, we rally behind Mayor Mendenhall for Salt Lake City Mayor in 2024". Instagram. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

[22] "Utah Endorsements: 2023 Endorsed Candidates". Planned Parenthood Action. Retrieved November 12, 2023.

[23] Benson, Samuel (November 20, 2023). "The philosopher-in-chief". Deseret News. Retrieved January 13, 2023.

[24] "Salt Lake DSA Endorses Michael Valentine for Salt Lake City Mayor". Salt Lake DSA. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.

[25] Bojórquez, Kim. "Mendenhall leads in money race for Salt Lake City mayor". Axios Salt Lake City. Axios Media. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

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