Mayoral election in Virginia Beach, Virginia (2018)
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| 2018 Virginia Beach elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: August 17, 2018 |
| General election: November 6, 2018 (Special election) |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor |
| Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2018 |
The city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, held a special election for mayor on November 6, 2018. The deadline for candidates to file to run in this election was August 17, 2018.[1]
Former mayor Will Sessoms resigned from the position on April 30, 2018. The City Council voted unanimously for Louis Jones to serve as interim-mayor until the special election.[2]
Virginia Beach utilizes a council-manager system. In a council-manager government, an elected city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and appoints a chief executive officer called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations, to draft a budget, and to implement and enforce the council's policy and legislative initiatives. The mayor is a regular voting member of city council with little or no exceptional legal privileges that may distinguish him or her from other council members.
Elections
Candidates
General election
Special general election for Mayor of Virginia Beach
Bob Dyer defeated Ben Davenport in the special general election for Mayor of Virginia Beach on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bob Dyer (Nonpartisan) | 51.8 | 82,201 | |
| Ben Davenport (Nonpartisan) | 47.7 | 75,693 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 789 | ||
| Total votes: 158,683 | ||||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Virginia elections, 2018
Municipal partisanship
Once mayors elected in 2018 assumed office, Democrats held mayorships in 61 of the 100 largest cities in the country. Out of the twenty-five mayoral elections that were held in 2018 in the 100 largest cities, two party changes occurred. In the election in Lexington, Kentucky, Republican Linda Gorton won the seat, replacing former Democratic Mayor Jim Gray. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, Republican Bob Dyer won the seat, replacing former independent Mayor Louis Jones. Click here to learn more.
About the city
- See also: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is considered a county equivalent. As of 2010, its population was 437,994.
City government
- See also: Council-manager government
The city of Virginia Beach uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council, which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body, appoints an executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.[3][4]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Virginia Beach, Virginia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | Virginia | |
| Population | 437,994 | 8,001,024 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 244 | 39,481 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 66.3% | 67.6% |
| Black/African American | 19% | 19.2% |
| Asian | 6.7% | 6.4% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Two or more | 5.6% | 3.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 8.2% | 9.4% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 93.5% | 89.7% |
| College graduation rate | 36% | 38.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $76,610 | $74,222 |
| Persons below poverty level | 7.3% | 10.6% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Five of 133 Virginia counties—3.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Buckingham County, Virginia | 11.28% | 2.43% | 0.87% | ||||
| Caroline County, Virginia | 5.02% | 8.24% | 11.97% | ||||
| Essex County, Virginia | 2.14% | 7.30% | 10.35% | ||||
| Nelson County, Virginia | 5.59% | 2.72% | 9.15% | ||||
| Westmoreland County, Virginia | 7.14% | 6.95% | 10.24% | ||||
Note: Although it is highlighted in the map above, the city of Chesapeake is not considered a county and not included in our calculations as such.
In the 2016 presidential election, Virginia was a battleground state. Hillary Clinton (D) won Virginia with 49.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.4 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic 56.67 percent of the time and Republican 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic three times (2008, 2012, and 2016) and Republican two times (2000 and 2004).
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Virginia Beach Virginia election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Virginia Beach, Virginia | Virginia | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "In November, 8 of 11 Virginia Beach City Council seats will be on the ballot," June 18, 2018
- ↑ Southside Daily, "Virginia Beach has a new mayor, for now," May 1, 2018
- ↑ City of Virginia Beach, "City Council," accessed August 11, 2014
- ↑ City of Virginia Beach, "Form of Government," accessed October 30, 2014
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