Wikipedia

2023 Portland, Maine mayoral election

The 2023 Portland, Maine mayoral election was held on November 7, 2023, to elect the mayor of Portland, Maine.

2023 Portland, Maine mayoral election
← 2019 November 7, 2023 2027 →
 
Candidate Mark Dion Andrew Zarro
First round 8,839
39.43% 		5,902
26.33%
Final round 10,750
51.55% 		10,107
48.45%
 
Candidate Pious Ali Justin Costa
First round 4,894
21.83% 		1,771
7.90%
Final round Eliminated Eliminated
Mayor before election

Kate Snyder

 Elected mayor

Mark Dion

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] Mark Dion was elected mayor after five rounds of voting.[3]

Background

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Since 2011, all mayoral elections in Portland have used instant-runoff voting,[4] a form of ranked-choice voting.

Nomination papers for the mayor, city council, and school board were available on June 30 and had to be returned between August 14 and August 28.[5]

Candidates

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Official

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  • Pious Ali, at-large city councilor[6]
  • Justin Costa, former city councilor[7]
  • Mark Dion, city councilor, former state senator, former Cumberland County Sheriff, and candidate for governor in 2018 (Party affiliation: Democratic)[8]
  • Dylan Pugh, software developer (Party affiliation: Democratic)[9]
  • Andrew Zarro, city councilor, District 4 (Party affiliation: Democratic)[10]

Declined

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  • Emily Figdor, member and former chair of the Portland Board of Education[11]
  • Michael Kebede, former chair of the Portland Charter Commission[11]
  • Kate Snyder, incumbent mayor (Party affiliation: Democratic)[1][2]
  • Ethan Strimling, former mayor (Party affiliation: Democratic)[11][12]

Endorsements

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Pious Ali
Local officials
Mark Dion
Local officials
Andrew Zarro
Local officials

Campaign

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The major issues in the mayoral campaign included the ongoing housing crisis and homelessness crisis in the city.[15] The 2023 point-in-time count noted 4,258 unhoused individuals, 25% of which were considered chronically homeless.[16]

Another issue discussed on the campaign trail was a rise in hate speech.[15] Ali faced threats and harassment from the New England White Network,[17] City Council meetings faced zoom bombing,[18] and anti-semitic flyers were placed around the community on September 11.[19]

Results

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2023 Portland, Maine mayoral election[citation needed]
Candidate Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5
Votes % Transfer Votes % Transfer Votes % Transfer Votes % Transfer Votes %
Mark Dion 8,839 39.43% + 10 8,849 39.50% + 60 8,909 39.88% + 516 9,425 42.56% + 1,325 10,750 51.55%
Andrew Zarro 5,902 26.33% + 26 5,928 26.46% + 363 6,291 28.16% + 636 6,927 31.28% + 3,180 10,107 48.45%
Pious Ali 4,894 21.83% + 23 4,917 21.95% + 362 5,279 23.63% + 515 5,794 26.16% - 5,794 Eliminated
Justin Costa 1,771 7.90% + 4 1,775 7.92% + 86 1,861 8.33% - 1,861 Eliminated
Dylan Pugh 908 4.05% + 26 934 4.17% - 934 Eliminated
George Rheault
(Write-in) 		100 0.45% - 100 Eliminated
Total votes 22,414 100.0%

References

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  1. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ a b 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.
  3. ^ Schroeder, Nick (8 November 2023). "Dion, Portland's version of a law-and-order candidate, wins mayoral race". Maine Morning Star.
  4. ^ Ranked Choice Voting City of Portland, Maine
  5. ^ "Race for Portland mayor heats up as City Councilor Andrew Zarro enters". Yahoo Finance. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  6. ^ Hoey, Dennis (2023-08-01). "City Councilor Pious Ali joins growing field in Portland mayoral race". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  7. ^ Ohm, Rachel (2023-07-18). "Former Portland city councilor enters race for mayor". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  8. ^ Bartow, Adam (2023-06-29). "Portland city councilor, former sheriff, announces run for mayor". WMTW. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  9. ^ "New candidate for Portland mayor throws hat in the race".
  10. ^ Ohm, Rachel (9 May 2023). "Race for Portland mayor heats up as City Councilor Andrew Zarro enters". Press Herald.
  11. ^ a b c 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.
  12. ^ "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
  13. ^ Strimling, Ethan (October 25, 2023). "Opinion: Why I am voting for Pious Ali for Portland Mayor". Maine Beacon.
  14. ^ a b Writer, Grace BenninghoffStaff (2023-10-19). "Kate Snyder endorses Mark Dion, Andrew Zarro for Portland mayor". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  15. ^ a b Cover, Susan (21 September 2023). "Portland mayoral candidates address homelessness crisis". Spectrum News. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  16. ^ Bader, Emily (21 May 2023). "Homeless people ponder next destination as Portland housing crisis intensifies". The Maine Monitor. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ Clarke, Talia (20 September 2023). "Hate speech disrupts Portland City Council meeting, brings Mayor to tears". WMTW. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  19. ^ Bennett, Troy R. (11 September 2023). "Antisemitic 9/11 flyers appear in Portland on anniversary of attacks". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
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