2019 Tampa mayoral election

An election for Mayor of Tampa was held on March 5, 2019. The election is officially nonpartisan, and the winner is elected to a four-year term.

2019 Tampa mayoral election

← 2015 March 5 and April 23, 2019 2023 →

Candidate Jane Castor David Straz Jr. Harry Cohen First round 23,324 47.98% 7,522 15.47% 5,907 12.15% Runoff 38,859 73.10% 14,300 26.90% Eliminated   Candidate Ed Turanchik Dick Greco Jr Mike Suarez First round 4,320 8.89% 4,158 8.55% 2,462 5.06% Runoff Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated

Runoff results by precinct Castor:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Straz:      50–60% No votes:

Mayor before election Bob Buckhorn Elected mayor Jane Castor

Incumbent mayor Bob Buckhorn was not eligible to run for a third term.^[1] Buckhorn was first elected in 2011 (winning in the second round with 62.86% of the vote) and reelected unopposed in 2015. Jane Castor and David Straz headed off into a runoff election on April 23, 2019, as no candidate received the majority fifty percent.^[2][3] Castor defeated Straz in the runoff election, becoming mayor-elect of Tampa.

Candidates

Declared

• Harry Cohen, two term city councilman^[4]
• Jane Castor, former police chief^[5][6]
• Dick Greco Jr., retired judge and son of former mayor Dick A. Greco^[7]
• Michael Anthony Hazard, small business owner^[8]
• LaVaughn King, activist^[8]
• Topher Morrison, small business owner^[9][10]
• David Straz Jr., philanthropist^{[5][6][11][12]}
• Mike Suarez, member of Tampa City Council^[13][14]
• Ed Turanchik, former Hillsborough County commissioner^[15]

Did not file

• Ed Narain, former state representative^[16]
• Mike Griffin, former chairman of Tampa Chamber of Commerce^[16]

Withdrawn

• Sam Gibbons, graduate student and grandson of late U.S. representative Sam Gibbons^[17]

Endorsements

David Straz Jr.

• Northwest Florida Chapter of Black Women in Construction^[18]
• United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) 1625^[18]
• International Union of Operating Engineers Local 487^[18]
• Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 123^[18]
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 824^[19]

Jane Castor

• Former police chief Steve Hogue^[19]
• Former police chief Bennie Holder^[19]
• Former fire chief Tom Forward^[19]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of November 21, 2018
Candidate (party)	Total receipts	Total expenditures
Jane Castor	$176,858.80	$32,524.63
Harry Cohen	$97,625.00	$38,217.37
Michael Anthony Hazard	$262.90	$122.90
LaVaughn King	$0.00	$0.00
Topher Morrison	$58,642.81	$44,421.93
David Straz Jr.	$1,592,940.00	$1,007,724.65
Mike Suarez	$49,788.00	$8,183.00
Ed Turanchik	$171,474.00	$76,401.36
[20]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Jane Castor	Harry Cohen	David Straz Jr.	Mike Suarez	Ed Turanchik	Dick Greco, Jr.	Other	Undecided
St. Pete Polls[21]	May 10, 2018	424	±4.8%	47.3%	5.4%	7.8%	5.5%	9.7%	-	8.3%	15.9%
St. Pete Polls[22]	June 24, 2018	496	±4.4%	40.9%	7.3%	10.6%	7.2%	7.2%	-	7.8%	18.9%
St. Pete Polls[23]	February 5, 2019	429	±4.7%	45.3%	7.5%	12.9%	6.0%	6.7%	9.3%	-	10.8%

Results

First round

2019 Tampa mayoral primary election^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Jane Castor	23,324	47.98%
	Nonpartisan	David Straz	7,522	15.47%
	Nonpartisan	Harry Cohen	5,907	12.15%
	Nonpartisan	Ed Turanchik	4,320	8.89%
	Nonpartisan	Dick Greco, Jr.	4,158	8.55%
	Nonpartisan	Mike Suarez	2,462	5.06%
	Nonpartisan	Topher Morrison	839	1.73%
	Write-in		80	0.16%
Total votes			48,612	100.00%

Runoff

2019 Tampa mayoral general election^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Jane Castor	38,859	73.10%
	Nonpartisan	David Straz	14,300	26.90%
Total votes			53,159	100.00%