Indianapolis Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett easily wins reelection after expensive race

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This article was published 08/11/2023 (1050 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett easily won a third term after an expensive race against a Republican challenger who had a significant fundraising advantage.

Hogsett received 59.51% of votes while businessman and former city-county councilman Jefferson Shreve received 40.49% of votes in Tuesday’s election. Hogsett also won the 2015 and 2019 elections by wide margins.

The expensive race was marked by the candidates’ stances on national issues, such as abortion and former President Donald Trump, on top of local concerns such as pedestrian safety and the economic development of Indianapolis’s downtown following the COVID-19 pandemic. Both candidates pledged to lobby the Legislature for gun control measures in the state’s largest city.

Hogsett was the top federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Indiana before becoming mayor of the city about 880,600 people. The Associated Press emailed Hogsett’s campaign Wednesday seeking a comment on his latest victory.

Hogsett beat an opponent who collected nearly $14.5 million in campaign contributions, some $13.5 million of which Shreve donated himself, according to campaign finance reports released in October.

Hogsett collected a total of $6.2 million, more than he has in his last two runs for office, according to his campaign.

During the campaign, Shreve criticized Hogsett on public safety and crime throughout the campaign season, citing murder rates in Indianapolis in recent years. Although the city saw a 16% drop in the number of homicides in 2022 from the previous year, 2021 was the deadliest year in the city’s recorded history, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Shreve also repeatedly attacked Hogsett’s handling of the 2020 protests over the police killing of George Floyd and accused the mayor of not being at the scene of the protests. Hogsett responded during a debate that he was working from home and met with protest organizers, the Indianapolis Star reported.

“I ran for the office of mayor because I love my city, and I wanted to make it a better place to live,” Shreve said in a social media post Tuesday night thanking his supporters. “I appreciate all the support I received during this campaign.”

Elsewhere in Indiana, Republican Sue Finkam defeated Democratic opponent Miles Nelson for the office of mayor in Carmel and Fort Wayne Democrat Tom Henry was elected to his fifth term as mayor, according to WPTA.