All Charleston municipal elections are required to be
non-partisan, but most candidates can be affiliated with political parties. Charleston uses a
two-round system, where election runoffs are held if no candidate obtains the majority of the vote.
Elections before 2019
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2024)
2019
2019 Charleston mayoral election
← 2015
November 5, 2019 (first round) November 19, 2019 (runoff)
The 2019 Charleston mayoral election took place on November 5, 2019, to elect the
mayor of
Charleston, South Carolina. Incumbent
Democratic Mayor
John Tecklenburg ran for re-election to a second consecutive term. A runoff was held on November 29, 2019, since no candidate surpassed 50%. In the runoff, John Tecklenburg was easily re-elected.[1]
The 2023 Charleston mayoral election took place on November 7, 2023, to elect the
mayor of
Charleston, South Carolina. Incumbent
Democratic Mayor
John Tecklenburg ran for re-election to a third consecutive term. A runoff was held on November 23, 2023, since no candidate surpassed 50%. In the runoff
RepublicanWilliam Cogswell defeated Democratic Mayor John Tecklenburg. Cogswell became the first Republican mayor of Charleston since
reconstruction when
George Cunningham left office in 1877. Tecklenburg became the first mayor of Charleston to lose a re-election since 1959.[4][5][6]
The election was officially
non-partisan, but several candidates were affiliated with political parties.
All Charleston municipal elections are required to be
non-partisan, but most candidates can be affiliated with political parties. Charleston uses a
two-round system, where election runoffs are held if no candidate obtains the majority of the vote.
Elections before 2019
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2024)
2019
2019 Charleston mayoral election
← 2015
November 5, 2019 (first round) November 19, 2019 (runoff)
The 2019 Charleston mayoral election took place on November 5, 2019, to elect the
mayor of
Charleston, South Carolina. Incumbent
Democratic Mayor
John Tecklenburg ran for re-election to a second consecutive term. A runoff was held on November 29, 2019, since no candidate surpassed 50%. In the runoff, John Tecklenburg was easily re-elected.[1]
The 2023 Charleston mayoral election took place on November 7, 2023, to elect the
mayor of
Charleston, South Carolina. Incumbent
Democratic Mayor
John Tecklenburg ran for re-election to a third consecutive term. A runoff was held on November 23, 2023, since no candidate surpassed 50%. In the runoff
RepublicanWilliam Cogswell defeated Democratic Mayor John Tecklenburg. Cogswell became the first Republican mayor of Charleston since
reconstruction when
George Cunningham left office in 1877. Tecklenburg became the first mayor of Charleston to lose a re-election since 1959.[4][5][6]
The election was officially
non-partisan, but several candidates were affiliated with political parties.