The unions that represent Memphis police officers and firefighters handed Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. a key endorsement Tuesday. 

Floyd Bonner responded to the protesters outside his headquarters and talked about changing state law if necessary to curb youth violence. Meanwhile, everyone’s talking about the field of 19 in the mayor’s race and its impact on who wins.

Two council incumbents were effectively re-elected at the Thursday, July 20, deadline because they had no opposition. Two other council races drew fields of seven candidates.

As council contenders weigh their options, several races are filling up. Meanwhile, two former council members have filed their petitions to get back on the body and a third is considering it.

Democratic state Rep. Justin J. Pearson, who was expelled from the General Assembly but re-appointed by the County Commission, faces independent candidate Jeff Johnston for the House seat. 

White finished second to Steve Mulroy in the May 2022 Democratic primary for Shelby County District Attorney General. Meanwhile, the official field for Memphis mayor stands at eight ahead of the July 20 qualifying deadline.

The Political Roundup looks at campaigning in the summer heat, the most active council races and a growing field of possible contenders for Memphis mayor.

The candidates in the crowded Memphis mayoral race should not forget broadcast media, according to one political consultant.

Both prospects for the new DeSoto County sheriff have history and law enforcement and agree the biggest public safety issue facing the county is crime from Memphis and surrounding Mississippi counties.

Welcome back to On The Ballot, where we have five quick topics today, including a hot one for this hot week: Memphis Light, Gas and Water.

Absentee voting for the August primary begins Monday in Mississippi.

In the low-turnout contest, Justin J. Pearson got better than 94% of the vote across 19 precincts, compared to 5% for challenger David Page.

Former Shelby County Commissioner Sidney Chism’s annual summer political picnic returned June 10. It was also the last day of early voting for the special primary elections in state House District 86. And Martin Luther King III came through Memphis last week in a summer bus tour across the country.

The forum at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church drew nine candidates and a crowd of more than 100 Thursday, June 8.

A new Memphis mayoral poll showed former Mayor Willie Herenton leading the crowded field but with almost half of the voters undecided four months ahead of Election Day.

In a crowded mayoral race where a plurality will win, the former mayor is staking his claim to being tough-on-crime. 

Mandy Gunasekara’s effort to be on the August ballot for public service commissioner in Mississippi’s Northern District could be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Former Mayor Willie Herenton’s seventh bid for mayor is being framed as a reelection effort and relies heavily on his experience as the longest serving mayor in the city’s history. 

Michelle McKissack sent an email about the district’s third grade reading scores Wednesday afternoon in which she referenced her mayoral candidacy, an “oversight” that could run afoul of district ethics rules. 

The opening day crowd to get petitions at the Election Commission’s Downtown office had a few surprises, a party bus and even some camaraderie among competing candidates.

Five of the dozen candidates running for Memphis mayor came to the Overton Park Shell Saturday as the race for mayor enters its most public phase.

Related content:

Memphis mayoral candidates react to The Greater 901 Initiative poll

Memphis mayoral candidates react to the residency court ruling

Here’s what some of the mayoral contenders had to say about The Greater 901 Initiative’s recent poll of the 2023 mayor’s race.

Here is what some of the Memphis mayoral contenders had to say about the Chancery Court ruling that there is no residency requirement for candidates in the October 2023 elections.

How about Justin Timberlake? Leslie Jones? William, Prince of Wales? No connection to Memphis is too tenuous to be mayor. Who would you choose?

The two mayoral candidates, neither of whom have lived in Memphis for two years, and the City Council argued that a 1996 referendum repealed residency requirements.