Mayoral elections in Arlington, Texas

Elections are currently every two years to elect the mayor of Arlington, Texas.

Elections are officially non-partisan, and use a two-round system, where election runoffs are held if no candidate obtains the majority of the vote.

Elections before 1997

1997

1997 Arlington mayoral election

← 1995 May 3, 1997[1] 1999 →

Candidate Elzie Odom Paula Hightower Robert Musgrove Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 8,752 7,060 1,239 Percentage 50.2% 40.5% 7.1%   Candidate Lico Reyes Party Nonpartisan Popular vote 191 Percentage 1.1%

Mayor before election Elzie Odom[2] Elected mayor Elzie Odom

The 1997 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 3, 1997.^[1] It saw the election of Elzie Odom, Arlington's first black mayor.

1997 Arlington, Texas mayoral election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Elzie Odom	8,752	50.2%
	Nonpartisan	Paula Hightower	7,060	40.5%
	Nonpartisan	Robert Musgrove	1,239	7.1%
	Nonpartisan	Lico Reyes	191	1.1%
	Nonpartisan	Robert Renfro	109	0.6%
	Nonpartisan	Terrell Romack	56	0.3%
	Nonpartisan	Dimitra Turner	29	0.2%
Total votes			17,436

1999

1999 Arlington mayoral election

← 1997 May 1, 1999[4] 2001 →

Candidate Elzie Odom Frederick "Lico" Reyes Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 6,290 1,848 Percentage 77.3% 22.7%

Mayor before election Elzie Odom[2] Elected mayor Elzie Odom

The 1999 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 1, 1999.^[4] It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Elzie Odom.

1999 Arlington, Texas mayoral election^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Elzie Odom (incumbent)	6,290	77.3
	Nonpartisan	Frederick "Lico" Reyes	1,848	22.7
Total votes			8,138

2001

2001 Arlington mayoral election

← 1999 May 5, 2001[6] 2003 →

Candidate Elzie Odom Don Higginbotham Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 4,293 2,175 Percentage 56.04% 28.39%   Candidate Lico Reyes Terry L. Harris Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 673 405 Percentage 8.78% 5.29%

Mayor before election Elzie Odom[2] Elected mayor Elzie Odom

The 2001 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 5, 2001. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Elzie Odom.

2001 Arlington, Texas mayoral election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Elzie Odom (incumbent)	4,293	56.04
	Nonpartisan	Don Higginbotham	2,175	28.39
	Nonpartisan	Lico Reyes	673	8.78
	Nonpartisan	Terry L. Harris	405	5.29
	Nonpartisan	Dimitra "Dee" F.S. Turner	115	1.50
Total votes			7,661

2003

2003 Arlington mayoral election

← 2001 May 3, 2003[7] 2005 →

Candidate Robert Cluck Sheri Capehart Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 7,734 3,253 Percentage 64.76% 27.24%

Mayor before election Elzie Odom[2] Elected mayor Robert Cluck Republican

The 2003 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 3, 2003. It saw the election of Robert Cluck.

2003 Arlington, Texas mayoral election^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Robert Cluck	9,396	56.48
	Nonpartisan	Sheri Capehart	6,461	38.84
	Nonpartisan	Lico Reyes	323	1.94
	Nonpartisan	Tony Vann	208	1.25
	Nonpartisan	Craig Smith	134	0.81
	Nonpartisan	Steve White	113	0.68
Total votes			16,635

2005

2005 Arlington mayoral election

← 2003 May 7, 2005[8] 2007 →

Candidate Robert Cluck Jerry Pikulinksi Stephen White Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 8,186 4,570 1,468 Percentage 57.55% 32.13% 10.32%

Mayor before election Robert Cluck Republican Elected mayor Robert Cluck Republican

The 2005 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 7, 2005. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Robert Cluck.

2005 Arlington, Texas mayoral election^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Robert Cluck (incumbent)	8,186	57.55
	Nonpartisan	Jerry Pikulinksi	4,570	32.13
	Nonpartisan	Stephen White	1,468	10.32
Total votes			14,224

2007

2007 Arlington mayoral election

← 2005 May 12, 2007[9] 2009 →
Turnout	7.11%[9]
Candidate Robert Cluck Jerry Pikulinski Carl Oehler Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 7,734 3,253 955 Percentage 64.76% 27.24% 8.00%
Mayor before election Robert Cluck Republican Elected mayor Robert Cluck Republican

The 2007 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 12, 2007. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Robert Cluck.

2007 Arlington, Texas mayoral election^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Robert Cluck (incumbent)	7,734	64.76
	Nonpartisan	Jerry Pikulinski	3,253	27.24
	Nonpartisan	Carl Oehler	955	8.00
Total votes			11,942

2009

2009 Arlington mayoral election

← 2007 May 9, 2009[10] 2011 →

Candidate Robert Cluck Jerry Pikulinksi Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 7,003 2,666 Percentage 65.35% 24.88%

Mayor before election Robert Cluck Republican Elected mayor Robert Cluck Republican

The 2009 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 9, 2009. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Robert Cluck.

If no candidate had obtained a majority of the vote, a runoff would have been held.

2009 Arlington, Texas mayoral election^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Robert Cluck (incumbent)	7,003	65.35
	Nonpartisan	Jerry Pikulinksi	2,666	24.88
	Nonpartisan	Aaron Bickle	448	4.18
	Nonpartisan	Lane M. Weston	389	3.63
	Nonpartisan	Stephen Joe Lagwund White	210	1.96
Total votes			10,716

2011

2011 Arlington mayoral election

← 2009 May 14, 2011[11] 2013 →
Turnout	8.55%[11]
Candidate Robert Cluck Carl Schriver Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 6,901 3,337 Percentage 67.41% 32.59%
Mayor before election Robert Cluck Republican Elected mayor Robert Cluck Republican

The 2011 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 14, 2011. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Robert Cluck.

Results^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Robert Cluck (incumbent)	6,901	67.41
	Nonpartisan	Carl Schriver	3,337	32.59
Total votes			10,238

2013

2013 Arlington mayoral election

← 2011 May 11, 2013[12] 2015 →
Turnout	6.16%[12]
Candidate Robert Cluck Jerry Pikulinski Chris Dobson Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 7,800 2,171 935 Percentage 71.52% 19.91% 8.57%
Mayor before election Robert Cluck Republican Elected mayor Robert Cluck Republican

The 2013 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 11, 2013. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Robert Cluck.

2013 Arlington, Texas mayoral election^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Robert Cluck (incumbent)	7,800	71.52
	Nonpartisan	Jerry Pikulinski	2,171	19.91
	Nonpartisan	Chris "Dobi" Dobson	935	8.57
Total votes			10,906

2015

2015 Arlington mayoral election

← 2013 May 9, 2015[13] 2017 →
Turnout	14.50%[13]
Candidate Jeff Williams Robert Cluck Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 10,613 4,668 Percentage 58.5% 25.7%
Mayor before election Robert Cluck Republican Elected mayor Jeff Williams Republican

The 2015 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 9, 2015.

Jeff Williams unseated incumbent mayor Robert Cluck.

2015 Arlington, Texas mayoral election^[13][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Jeff Williams	15,501	58.07
	Nonpartisan	Robert Cluck (incumbent)	10,461	39.19
	Nonpartisan	Jerry Pikulinski	520	1.95
	Nonpartisan	Didmus B. Banda	211	0.79
Total votes			26,693

2017

2017 Arlington mayoral election

← 2015 May 6, 2017[15] 2019 →
Turnout	10.62%[15]
Candidate Jeff Williams Chris Dobson Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 14,134 5,900 Percentage 70.55% 29.45%
Mayor before election Jeff Williams Republican Elected mayor Jeff Williams Republican

The 2017 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 6, 2017. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Jeff Williams.

Results

2017 Arlington, Texas mayoral election^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Jeff Williams (incumbent)	14,134	70.55
	Nonpartisan	Chris "Dobi" Dobson	5,900	29.45
Total votes			20,034

2019

2019 Arlington mayoral election

← 2017 May 4, 2019 2021 →
Turnout	8.99%[16]
Candidate Jeff Williams Ruby Faye Woolridge Popular vote 10,613 4,668 Percentage 58.53% 25.74%   Candidate Ashton Stauffer Chris Dobson Popular vote 1,809 1,042 Percentage 9.98% 5.75%
Mayor before election Jeff Williams Republican Elected mayor Jeff Williams Republican

A mayoral election took place in Arlington, Texas, on May 4, 2019.

Jeff Williams, the incumbent mayor,^[17] was elected to a third and final term in office.

Candidates

The filing deadline for candidates was February 15, 2019.^[18]

• Chris "Dobi" Dobson, substitute teacher^[19][20] and candidate for mayor in 2013 and 2017
• Ashton Stauffer
• Jeff Williams, incumbent mayor
• Ruby Faye Woolridge

Results

2019 Arlington, Texas mayoral election^[16][21][22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Jeff Williams (incumbent)	10,613	58.53
	Nonpartisan	Ruby Faye Woolridge	4,668	25.74
	Nonpartisan	Ashton Stauffer	1,809	9.98
	Nonpartisan	Chris "Dobi" Dobson	1,042	5.75
Total votes			18,132

2021

2021 Arlington mayoral election

← 2019 May 1, 2021 (2021-05-01) (first round) June 5, 2021 (2021-06-05) (Runoff) 2023 →

Candidate Jim Ross Michael Glaspie Marvin Sutton First round 14,755 47.90% 6,575 21.34% 4,654 15.11% Runoff 11,320 54.45% 9,470 45.55% Eliminated   Candidate Kelly Burke Dewayne Washington First round 2,289 7.43% 1,597 5.18% Runoff Eliminated Eliminated

Mayor before election Jeff Williams Republican Elected mayor Jim Ross Republican

The 2021 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 1, 2021.^[23] Incumbent mayor Jeff Williams retired due to term limits.^[24] A runoff was held on June 5, 2021^[25] between Jim Ross and Michael Glaspie after no candidate received a majority of the vote in the nonpartisan primary election.

Candidates

The filing date for candidates was February 12, 2021.^[26]

Advanced to runoff:

• Michael Glaspie, former member of the Arlington City Council (2012–2019)^[27][28]
• Jim Ross, attorney and businessman^[28]

Eliminated in first round:^[29]

• Doni Anthony, sales representative and activist
• Kelly Burke, business owner
• Cirilo Ocampo, Jr., information systems specialist
• Marvin Sutton, former member of the Arlington City Council (2019–2021)
• Dewayne Washington, pastor

Disqualified from ballot:^[29]

• Jerry Warden, agent

Results

2021 Arlington, Texas mayoral election (first round)^[30]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Jim Ross	14,755	47.90
	Nonpartisan	Michael Glaspie	6,575	21.34
	Nonpartisan	Marvin Sutton	4,654	15.11
	Nonpartisan	Kelly Burke	2,289	7.43
	Nonpartisan	Dewayne Washington	1,597	5.18
	Nonpartisan	Doni Anthony	566	1.84
	Nonpartisan	Cirilo Ocampo, Jr.	368	1.19
Total votes			30,804	100.00

2021 Arlington, Texas mayoral election (runoff)^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Jim Ross	11,320	54.45
	Nonpartisan	Michael Glaspie	9,470	45.55
Total votes			20,790	100.00

2023

2023 Arlington mayoral election

← 2021 May 6, 2023 2025 →

Candidate Jim Ross Amy Cearnal Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 9,067 8,415 Percentage 51.9% 48.1%

Mayor before election Jim Ross Elected mayor Jim Ross

The 2023 Arlington mayoral election was held on May 6, 2023. Incumbent Republican mayor Jim Ross was re-elected to a second term in office.^[32]

Declared candidates

• Amy Cearnal, real estate business owner and Arlington Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone board member^[33]
• Jim Ross, incumbent mayor (party affiliation: Republican)^[34]

Results

2023 Arlington mayoral election

Candidate		Votes	%
Jim Ross (incumbent)		9,067	51.9%
Amy Cearnal		8,415	48.1%
Total votes		17,482	100.0

External links (official campaign websites)

• Amy Cearnal for Mayor
• Jim Ross (R) for Mayor

References

1. Doclar, Mary (May 4, 1997). "Arlington elects 1st black mayor". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 23. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
2. "HALL OF MAYORS". Arlington, Texas. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
3. "Municipal Elections - Arlington". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. May 4, 1997. p. 1. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
4. "City Election is Saturday, May 1". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. April 30, 1999. p. 184. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
5. "Local Election Results - Arlington Area - Arlington - Mayor". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. May 2, 1999. p. 65. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
6. "CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE ELECTION INFORMATION May 5, 2001 General Election" (PDF). Arlington City Secretary's Office. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
7. "CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE ELECTION INFORMATION May 3, 2003 ‐ GENERAL ELECTION" (PDF). Arlington City Secretary's Office. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
8. "CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE ELECTION INFORMATION MAY 7, 2005 ‐ GENERAL & SPECIAL ELECTION" (PDF). Arlington City Secretary's Office. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
9. "Precinct Report — Total Voters — Unofficial Joint General and Special Elections — Tarrant County — May 12, 2007" (PDF). Tarrant County. May 12, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
10. "CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE ELECTION INFORMATION MAY 9, 2009 GENERAL ELECTION" (PDF). Arlington City Secretary's Office. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
11. "Precinct Report — Total Voters — Official Tarrant County — Joint Elections — May 14, 2011" (PDF). Tarrant County. May 27, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
12. "Cumulative Report — Official Tarrant County — Joint General and Special Elections — May 11, 2013" (PDF). Tarrant County. May 31, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
13. "Cumulative Report — Official Tarrant County — Joint General and Special Elections — May 09, 2015" (PDF). Tarrant County. April 17, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
14. "05/09/2015 - JOINT GEN. & SPEC. ELECTIONS". Tarrant County. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
15. "Cumulative Report — Official Tarrant County — Joint General and Special Elections — May 06, 2017" (PDF). Tarrant County. May 18, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
16. "Cumulative Report — Official Tarrant County — Joint General and Special Elections Live — May 04, 2019" (PDF). Tarrant County. May 14, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
17. "Arlington City Council term limits approved, meaning 3 seats will be open in May". Star-Telegram. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
18. "Mayoral election in Arlington, Texas (2019)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
19. "2019 Election Candidate Filing List - Arlington, TX" (PDF). Retrieved January 20, 2019.
20. "Arlington City Council candidates on May 6 ballot". Star-Telegram. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
21. "05-04-2019 -- JOINT GENERAL AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS". Tarrant County. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
22. "May 4, 2019 General Election" (PDF). Arlington, Texas. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
23. "MAY 1, 2021 ELECTION". City of Arlington. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
24. "Mayor And City Council Elections Set For May 1st". Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce. March 8, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
25. Bahari, Sarah (May 1, 2021). "Race for Arlington mayor heads to runoff between Jim Ross, Michael Glaspie". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
26. "Mayoral election in Arlington, Texas (2021)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
27. "Michael Glaspie". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
28. Broussard, Kailey (May 1, 2021). "Ross, Glaspie headed for runoff in Arlington mayor's race". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
29. McElroy, Logan (April 19, 2021). "Ross Atop Field of 7 in Arlington Mayor's Race That Is Likely Headed to Runoff". Retrieved May 3, 2021.
30. Gowins, Max (May 2021). "Texas 6th Congressional District Special Election Results and more". Decision Desk HQ. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
31. "Arlington Mayor". NBC 5 Dallas–Fort Worth. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
32. "City council approves election dates, funding for phase one of the Rotary Dream Park".
33. "Everything you need to know about Arlington's May Election".
34. "Mayors of Fort Worth and Arlington discuss their re-election bids". January 26, 2023.