# Mayoral elections in Fort Wayne, Indiana

"none" is preferred when the title is already sufficiently detailed; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
Elections in Indiana :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1864
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
1996
2000
2004
2008
2016
2020
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1816
1818
1821
1821 sp
1824
1827
1830
1832 sp
1832
1836
1838
1842
1844
1848
1850
1853 sp
1856
1857 sp
1860
1862
1863 sp
1867
1868
1873
1879
1879 sp
1885
1887
1891
1893
1897
1899
1903
1905
1905 sp
1909
1911
1914
1916
1916 sp
1920
1922
1926
1926 sp
1928
1932
1934
1938
1940
1944
1944 sp
1946
1950
1952
1956
1958
1962
1964
1968
1970
1974
1976
1980
1982
1986
1988
1990 sp
1992
1994
1998
2000
2004
2006
2010
2012
2016
2018
2022
2024
U.S. House of Representatives elections
1816
1817
1818
1820
1822
AL sp
1824
1st sp
1826
1828
1831
1833
1835
1837
6th sp
1839
1840
7th sp
1841
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1852
1854
1856
1857
1st sp
10th sp
1858
1860
1862
1864
1866
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
2nd sp
3rd sp
1878
1880
1882
1883
9th sp
1884
13th sp
1886
1888
1889
1st sp
1890
1892
1894
1896
1897
4th sp
1898
1900
1902
1904
1905
1st
1906
12th sp
1908
13th sp
1910
1912
1914
1916
1917
6th sp
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1935
2nd sp
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1947
10th sp
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1st sp
1984
1986
1988
1989
4th sp
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
7th sp
2010
3rd sp
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2nd sp
2024 :
State government
State elections
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1816
1819
1822
1825
1828
1831
1834
1837
1840
1843
1846
1849
1852
1856
1860
1864
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Secretary of State elections
2010
2014
2018
2022
Attorney General elections
2012
2016
2020
2024
State Treasurer elections
2010
2014
2018
2022
Senate elections
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
House of Representatives elections
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
Indianapolis
Mayoral elections
1925
1929
1947
1951
1955
1959
1963
1967
1971
1975
1979
1983
1987
1991
1995
1999
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
City-County Council elections
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023 :
Other localities
Carmel (mayoral)
Evansville (mayoral)
Fort Wayne (mayoral)
Gary (mayoral)
South Bend (mayoral)vte :
vte :
Elections are held in Fort Wayne, Indiana to elect the city's mayor. Currently, such elections are regularly scheduled to be held every four years, in the year immediately preceding that of United States presidential elections.

## 1987

The 1987 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 3, 1987, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Republican Paul Helmke, who unseated Democratic incumbent Winfield Moses.
1987 Fort Wayne mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Paul Helmke | 26,194 | 52.00 |
| | Democratic | Winfield Moses (incumbent) | 24,179 | 48.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 50,373 | 100 |

## 1991

The 1991 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5, 1991, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Republican incumbent Paul Helmke.
1991 Fort Wayne mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Paul Helmke (incumbent) | 21,415 | 59.19 |
| | Democratic | Charlie Belch | 14,766 | 40.81 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 36,181 | 100 |

## 1995

The 1995 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 7, 1995, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Republican incumbent Paul Helmke. As of 2023, this is the last time a Republican was elected Mayor of Fort Wayne.

### Nominations
#### Democratic primary

Wayne Township Trustee Thomas Essex won the Democratic primary with 4,056 votes.

#### Republican primary

Some Republicans speculated that Helmke, who had ties to the Clinton administration, might have been endangered in his primary. However, contrarily, he handily won his primary with 75% of the vote (7,717 votes).

#### Libertarian nomination

Libertarians nominated William Kempf.

### General election

The race was projected by Howey Political Report to be "safe Republican", with Helmke anticipated to be easily reelected.
1995 Fort Wayne mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Paul Helmke (incumbent) | 21,909 | 64.49 |
| | Democratic | Thomas Essex | 11,033 | 32.48 |
| | Libertarian | William Kempf | 1,029 | 3.03 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 33,971 | 100 |

## 1999

The 1999 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 2, 1999, to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Democrat Graham Richard, who defeated Republican Linda Buskirk by a narrow margin.

### Nominations
#### Democratic primary

Running for the Democratic nomination was Graham Richard, Agnes Hopkins, and David Roach.
1999 Fort Wayne Democratic mayoral primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Graham Richard | 5,568 | 79.13 |
| | Democratic | Agnes Fitzgerald Hopkins | 940 | 13.36 |
| | Democratic | Dave "Fort Wayne's Most Wanted" Roach | 529 | 7.52 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 7,037 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

Running for the Republican nomination was Linda Buskirk and Allen County Sheriff Joe Squadrito. While he had been seen as a frontrunner, Squadrito ultimately lost the primary to Buskirk.
1999 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Linda Buskirk | 9,540 | 52.10 |
| | Republican | Joseph Martin Squadrito | 8,772 | 47.90 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 18,312 | 100 |

#### Independent candidates

Independent candidates Sherri Emerson and William B. Dinkins also ran.

### General election

1999 Fort Wayne mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Graham Richard | 21,607 | 50.07 |
| | Republican | Linda Buskirk | 21,531 | 49.89 |
| | Independent | Sherri Emerson | 14 | 0.03 |
| | Independent | William B. Dinkins | 3 | 0.01 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,155 | 34 |

## 2003

The 2003 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 4 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, US. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Graham Richard, who again defeated Republican Linda Buskirk in what was a rematch of the 1999 election.

### Nominations

Primary elections were held May 8.
During its primaries, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 11.9%.

#### Democratic primary

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Graham Richard (incumbent) | 5,061 | 88.85 |
| | Democratic | Charles Eberhard | 330 | 5.79 |
| | Democratic | Thomas Allen Schrader | 167 | 2.93 |
| | Democratic | David Christopher "Papa" Roach | 138 | 2.42 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,696 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Linda Buskirk | 8,233 | 88.26 |
| | Republican | O. "Bro" Blye | 1,095 | 11.74 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 9,328 | 100 |

### General election

The election was projected as a "tossup". Despite the race having been projected to be close, Richard won a sizable victory over Buskirk.
During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 30.63%.
2003 was a good year for Democrats in Indiana's mayoral elections, with the party winning control of the mayoralties of all of the state's top seven most populous cities for the first time since 1959. The Democratic Party also won control of the mayoralties in twenty of the state's thirty cities with populations above 25,000. Additionally, in 2003, Democrats won more than 56% of partisan mayoral races in Indiana.
During the general election, Allen County, where Fort Wayne is located, saw voter turnout of 25% in its various elections.
2003 Fort Wayne mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Graham Richard (incumbent) | 27,279 | 58.00 |
| | Republican | Linda Buskirk | 19,717 | 41.92 |
| | Write-in | Others | 38 | 0.08 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 47,031 | 100 |

## 2007

The 2007 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 6 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the election of Democrat Tom Henry.
Incumbent mayor Graham Richard did not seek reelection to a third term.

### Nominations

Primary elections were held May 8.

#### Democratic primary

2007 Fort Wayne Democratic mayoral primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Tom Henry | 4,921 | 82.44 |
| | Democratic | Tom Cook | 804 | 13.47 |
| | Democratic | Frederick F. Steinke | 244 | 4.09 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,969 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

2007 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Matt Kelty | 9,123 | 50.29 |
| | Republican | Nelson Peters | 8,465 | 46.66 |
| | Republican | Ivan R. Hood | 328 | 1.81 |
| | Republican | Teresa L. Licari | 115 | 0.63 |
| | Republican | Wilbert "Duke" Brown | 111 | 0.61 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 18,142 | 100 |

### General election

In August, Kelty was indicted over perjury and campaign finance charges. While he denied wrongdoing, this story dominated the campaign.
During the general election, Allen County, where Fort Wayne is located, saw voter turnout of 21% in its various elections.
2007 Fort Wayne mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Tom Henry | 31,740 | 60.00 |
| | Republican | Matt Kelty | 21,163 | 40.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 52,903 | 100 |

### Aftermath

In October 2008, Kelty pleaded guilty to several of the campaign finance charges brought against him.
Henry would go on to be reelected in 2011, 2015, and 2019.

## 2011

The 2011 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 8 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Democrat Tom Henry.

### Nominations

Primary elections were held May 3.
During the primary elections, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 12.78%.

#### Democratic primary

2011 Fort Wayne Democratic mayoral primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Tom Henry (incumbent) | 4,391 | 85.96 |
| | Democratic | Tom Cook | 346 | 6.77 |
| | Democratic | Charles Eberhard | 159 | 3.11 |
| | Democratic | D. C. "Mr. Roachclip" Roach | 116 | 2.27 |
| | Democratic | Frederick F. Steinke | 96 | 1.88 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,108 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

2011 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Paula Hughes | 9,241 | 55.67 |
| | Republican | Elizabeth "Liz" Brown | 4,188 | 25.23 |
| | Republican | Eric Doden | 3,031 | 18.26 |
| | Republican | Wilbert "Duke" Brown | 111 | 0.61 |
| | Republican | Terrence Richard Walker | 79 | 0.48 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 16,601 | 100 |

### General election

During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 26.21%.
2011 Fort Wayne mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Tom Henry (incumbent) | 23,166 | 49.85 |
| | Republican | Paula Hughes | 21,520 | 46.31 |
| | Independent | D. Haley Ahrend | 1,782 | 3.83 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 46,468 | 100 |

## 2015

The 2015 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 3 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It saw the reelection of Democrat Tom Henry to a third term.

### Nominations

Primary elections were held May 5.
During the primary elections, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 9.82%.

#### Democratic primary

2015 Fort Wayne Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Tom Henry (incumbent) | 5,676 | 76.51 |
| | Democratic | Richard "Rick" Stevenson Sr. | 1,396 | 18.82 |
| | Democratic | Tom M. Cook | 219 | 2.95 |
| | Democratic | David Christopher Roach | 128 | 1.73 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 7,419 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

2015 Fort Wayne Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Mitch Harper | 8,475 | 83.68 |
| | Republican | William E. "Bill" Collins | 705 | 6.96 |
| | Republican | Robert "Rob" Bastian | 693 | 6.84 |
| | Republican | Frederick G. Osheskie Sr. | 255 | 2.52 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 10,128 | 100 |

### General election

During the general election, the voter turnout in Allen County, in which Fort Wayne is located, was 22.49%.
2015 Fort Wayne mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Tom Henry (incumbent) | 23,769 | 56.81 |
| | Republican | Mitch Harper | 18,068 | 43.19 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 41,837 | 100 |

## 2019

The 2019 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Incumbent mayor Tom Henry was reelected to a fourth term.

### Nominations

Primary elections were held May 7.

#### Democratic primary

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Tom Henry (incumbent) | 6,797 | 86.17 |
| | Democratic | Gina M. Burgess | 875 | 11.09 |
| | Democratic | Tommy A. Schrader | 216 | 2.74 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 7,888 | 100 |

#### Republican primary

2019 Fort Wayne Republican mayoral primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Tim Smith | 9,065 | 56.39 |
| | Republican | John Crawford | 6,776 | 42.15 |
| | Republican | David Christopher Roach | 235 | 1.46 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 16,076 | 100 |

### General election

Earlier in the campaign Henry was thought to be vulnerable, but the race ended up not being close. In his victory speech, Henry announced that it would be his last term as mayor, though he later decided to run for a fifth term against businessman Tim Didier for 2023. He was sworn in for his fourth term on January 1, 2020. His fourth term will expire on January 1, 2024.
2019 Fort Wayne mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Thomas C. Henry (Incumbent) | 32,571 | 61.21% | +4.40% |
| | Republican | Timothy Smith | 20,643 | 38.79% | −4.40% |
| | Write-in | Write-in | | | — |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,214 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,928 | 22.42% | 100.00% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | | |

## 2023

The 2023 Fort Wayne mayoral election was held on November 5 to elect the mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Incumbent mayor Tom Henry was reelected to a fifth term.
2023 Fort Wayne mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Thomas C. Henry (Incumbent) | 23,945 | 51.88% | −9.86% |
| | Republican | Thomas Didier | 22,210 | 48.12% | +9.86% |
| | Write-in | Write-in | | | — |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,155 | 100.00% | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,735 | 3.76% | 100.00% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | | |