Mayoral election in Chesapeake, Virginia (2018)
2019 →
← 2017
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| 2018 Chesapeake elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: March 6, 2018 |
| General election: May 1, 2018 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor, City council |
| Total seats up: 7 (click here for other city elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2018 |
Chesapeake also held elections for city council. Click here for more information about those races.
In addition to the regularly scheduled elections for five at-large members of the city council, there was also a special election for mayor and another city council seat. After then-Mayor Alan P. Krasnoff resigned in order to take office as clerk of the circuit court, Vice Mayor Richard W. West became mayor in November 2017. Councilman John de Triquet was then appointed vice mayor, and Dwight Parker was appointed to de Triquet's seat on the city council. West and Parker were required to run in special elections in 2018 in order to serve out unexpired terms that ended on June 30, 2020.[1]Elections
Candidates
General election
Special general election for Mayor of Chesapeake
Incumbent Richard West defeated Jo Anne Gallant in the special general election for Mayor of Chesapeake on May 1, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Richard West (Nonpartisan) | 57.8 | 13,342 |
 | Jo Anne Gallant (Nonpartisan) | 41.7 | 9,630 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 108 | ||
| Total votes: 23,080 | |||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Virginia elections, 2018
Municipal partisanship
Once mayors elected in 2018 assumed office, Democrats held mayorships in 61 of the 100 largest cities in the country. Out of the twenty-five mayoral elections that were held in 2018 in the 100 largest cities, two party changes occurred. In the election in Lexington, Kentucky, Republican Linda Gorton won the seat, replacing former Democratic Mayor Jim Gray. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, Republican Bob Dyer won the seat, replacing former independent Mayor Louis Jones. Click here to learn more.
About the city
- See also: Chesapeake, Virginia
Chesapeake is a city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is considered a county equivalent. As of 2010, its population was 222,209.
City government
- See also: Council-manager government
The city of Chesapeake uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.[2]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Chesapeake, Virginia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake | Virginia | |
| Population | 222,209 | 8,001,024 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 338 | 39,481 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 61.1% | 67.6% |
| Black/African American | 30% | 19.2% |
| Asian | 3.2% | 6.4% |
| Native American | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Two or more | 4% | 3.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 6.2% | 9.4% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 92.1% | 89.7% |
| College graduation rate | 33.2% | 38.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $78,640 | $74,222 |
| Persons below poverty level | 8.6% | 10.6% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Five of 133 Virginia counties—3.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Buckingham County, Virginia | 11.28% | 2.43% | 0.87% | ||||
| Caroline County, Virginia | 5.02% | 8.24% | 11.97% | ||||
| Essex County, Virginia | 2.14% | 7.30% | 10.35% | ||||
| Nelson County, Virginia | 5.59% | 2.72% | 9.15% | ||||
| Westmoreland County, Virginia | 7.14% | 6.95% | 10.24% | ||||
Note: Although it is highlighted in the map above, the city of Chesapeake is not considered a county and not included in our calculations as such.
In the 2016 presidential election, Virginia was a battleground state. Hillary Clinton (D) won Virginia with 49.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.4 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic 56.67 percent of the time and Republican 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic three times (2008, 2012, and 2016) and Republican two times (2000 and 2004).
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Chesapeake Virginia election mayor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Chesapeake, Virginia | Virginia | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
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