# 2018 Louisville mayoral election

"none" is preferred when the title is already sufficiently detailed; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
Elections in Kentucky :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1792
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
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
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1792
1793
1794
1798
1800
1804
1805 sp
1806
1806 sp
1811
1813
1814 sp
1815 sp
1816
1816 sp
1818
1819 sp
1820 sp
1823
1824 sp
1829
1831 sp
1835
1836
1841
1842
1842 sp
1843
1848
1849
1849 sp
1851
1851 sp
1854
1858
1859
1861 sp
1865
1867
1868 sp
1871
1872
1873 sp
1876
1879
1882
1884
1888
1890
1890 sp
1893 sp
1894
1897
1900
1902
1906
1908
1912
1914
1914 sp
1918
1920
1924
1926
1930
1930 sp
1932
1936
1938
1940 sp
1942
1944
1946 sp
1948
1950
1950 sp
1952 sp
1954
1956
1956 sp
1960
1962
1966
1968
1972
1974
1978
1980
1984
1986
1990
1992
1996
1998
2002
2004
2008
2010
2014
2016
2020
2022
2026
2028
U.S. House of Representatives elections
1792
1793
1795
1797
1799
1801
1803
1804
1806
1808
1810
5th sp
1812
1813
8th sp
1814
2nd sp
1815
2nd sp
1816
1st sp
1818
1820
1821
8th sp
1822
1824
1825
3rd sp
1826
5th sp
12th sp
1827
11th sp
1828
2nd sp
1829
1831
1833
1834
5th sp
1835
1837
1839
1841
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1854
3rd sp
1855
1857
1859
1861
1862
2nd sp
1863
1865
1866
3rd sp
5th sp
6th sp
1867
3rd sp
1868
1870
3rd sp
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
6th sp
1892
1894
9th sp
10th sp
1896
1898
1899
7th sp
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1923
7th sp
1924
9th sp
1925
3rd sp
1926
1928
1929
3rd sp
1930
2nd sp
1932
1934
1935
4th sp
1936
1937
2nd sp
1938
1940
1942
1943
4th sp
1944
1946
1948
2nd sp
9th sp
1950
1951
6th sp
1952
2nd sp
1953
2nd sp
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1971
6th sp
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
2nd sp
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
6th sp
2006
2008
2010
2012
4th sp
2014
2016
1st sp
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
State government
State elections
2007
2008
2010
2011
2012
2014
2015
2016
2018
2019
2020
2022
2023
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1792
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1851
1855
1859
1863
1867
1868 sp
1871
1875
1879
1883
1887
1891
1895
1899
1900 sp
1903
1907
1911
1915
1919
1923
1927
1931
1935
1939
1943
1947
1951
1955
1959
1963
1967
1971
1975
1979
1983
1987
1991
1995
1999
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
2027
Secretary of State elections
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
Attorney General elections
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
State Treasurer elections
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
State Auditor elections
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
Agriculture Commissioner elections
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
Senate elections
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Special
House of Representatives elections
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Special
Supreme Court elections
2008
2010
2012
2014
2015 sp
2016
2018
2019 sp
2020
2022
2024 :
Ballot measures
2004Amendment 1
2022Amendment 2
2024Amendment 2 :
Lexington
Mayoral elections
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022 :
Louisville
Mayoral elections
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022 :
Government :
vte :
The 2018 Louisville mayoral election was the fifth quadrennial Louisville Metro mayoral election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. The Democratic candidate, incumbent mayor and businessman Greg Fischer, was elected to his third and final term. He defeated the Republican candidate, engineer and former Louisville Metro Councilwoman Angela Leet.
As the incumbent mayor, Fischer secured his party's nomination with little resistance. Despite the presence of five total candidates on the Democratic primary ballot, Fischer won the primary with a resounding 75% of the vote. The Republicans experienced a slightly more competitive primary, despite having only two candidates total. Leet clinched her party's nomination in May, defeating Bob DeVore, the Republican nominee for Mayor of Louisville in 2014.
Fischer and Leet were challenged in the general election ballot by a total of seven nonpartisan and independent candidates. Nine total candidates appeared on the 2018 general election ballot. Despite having participated in previous mayoral elections and having a presence in Louisville, the Green and Libertarian parties did not field candidates in the 2018 race.
The campaigns focused heavily on local issues, with both candidates having centered their campaigns on completely different issues. Fischer campaigned on a record he described as one of "unprecedented growth" — specifically citing over 2,700 new businesses and $13 billion in capital investment. In contrast, Leet focused heavily on crime, specifically the sharp increase in Louisville's homicide rate, over the course of Fischer's tenure. The campaign was marked by record levels of fundraising, with over $2 million being raised from both sides. The Fischer campaign raised approximately $1.6 million, which stands in stark contrast to the Leet campaign, who only managed to raise $458,400 total, with about $200,000 coming out of her own pocket for the general election.
Fischer defeated Leet, winning an overwhelming majority of the popular vote. Fischer won 61.3% of the popular vote compared to Leet's 36.5%. Despite receiving approximately 5,000 more votes than in the 2014 Louisville mayoral election, Fischer's overall percentage of votes received was lower than in 2014, where he received 68.5% of the vote. Fischer became the second mayor in Louisville's history to win a third term, and the first mayor to do so under the consolidated city–county government. He would be unable to run again in 2022 due to term limits set by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1986. Fischer was sworn in for his final term on January 8, 2019.

## Nominations

On May 22, 2018, the Democratic and Republican parties held their respective closed primary elections. Approximately 95,000 votes were cast in both party primaries, though turnout for the Democratic primary was more than triple the Republican primary. More than three-fourths of votes were cast in the Democratic primary. Approximately 15.8% of Jefferson County's registered voters participated in 2018's mayoral primaries, which is slightly lower than the national turnout average of 19.6%.

### Democratic Party
#### Primary

On March 24, 2017, during a speech to local nonprofit groups, incumbent mayor Greg Fischer became the first candidate to formally announce his campaign when he stated that he would seek a third term as Louisville's mayor. Fisher remained uncontested for the nomination until October 12, 2017, when Louisville Attorney Ryan Fenwick announced he was running to challenge Fischer in the 2018 Democratic Primary. A member of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, the 30-year-old Fenwick declared himself to be the most progressive candidate in the race. Over the course of the primary, Fenwick ran an unapologetically left-wing campaign, prioritizing issues such as a $15 minimum wage, and criticizing the use of tax dollars for corporate developments. According to Fenwick, his campaign was inspired by the successful primarying of Jackson, Mississippi mayor Tony Yarber by progressive attorney Chokwe Antar Lumumba.
With an incumbent mayor running for re-election against mostly token opposition, the race for the Democratic nomination was largely uneventful. The nomination process consisted solely of the 2018 Democratic mayoral primary, held on May 22, 2018. For the majority of the race, Fischer did not acknowledge his primary opponents in any of his public comments. His only interaction with any other primary candidate was a single debate with candidate Ryan Fenwick, which took place on Monday, April 30, 2018. Despite the presence of five total candidates, Fischer easily won his party's primary with over 75% of the vote.
Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Greg Fischer (incumbent) | 54,554 | 75% |
| | Democratic | Ryan Fenwick | 12,052 | 17% |
| | Democratic | Lawrence Williams Jr. | 2,466 | 3% |
| | Democratic | Daniel Gilette | 1,999 | 3% |
| | Democratic | Dave Biggers | 1,933 | 3% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 73,004 | 100.00% |

### Republican Party
#### Primary

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Angela Leet | 16,273 | 66.1% |
| | Republican | Bob DeVore | 8,357 | 33.9% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 24,630 | 100% |

## Campaign
### Endorsements

Organizations
* Better Schools Kentucky
* International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 369
Newspapers
* Louisville Eccentric Observer
Politicians
* Bill Hollander, member of the Louisville Metro Council representing the 9th district
* John Yarmuth, congressman for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district
Organizations
* River City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 614

## Results

Louisville mayoral election, 2018 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Greg Fischer (incumbent) | 172,810 | 61.3% | −7.2% |
| | Republican | Angela Leet | 105,853 | 36.5% | +5.2% |
| | Independent | Jackie Green | 1,979 | 0.7% | |
| | Independent | Chris Thieneman | 1,296 | 0.4% | |
| | Independent | Sean Vandevader | 995 | 0.3% | |
| | Independent | Billy Ralls | 873 | 0.3% | |
| | Independent | Henry Owens | 415 | 0.1% | |
| | Independent | Douglas Lattimore | 315 | 0.1% | |
| | Independent | Isaac Thacker IV | 306 | 0.1% | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 66,957 | 23% | −14% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 289,781 | 100% | +13% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | | |
Greg Fischer, the incumbent Democratic mayor of Louisville, defeated Republican nominee and former member of the Louisville Metro Council Angela Leet, tallying 61.3% of the vote to Leet's 36.5%, with the remainder of the vote going to various Independent candidates, most notably former professional football player Chris Thieneman, who received 0.4% of the vote.