United States elections, 2009

2009 United States elections

Off-year elections
Election day	November 3
Congressional special elections
Seats contested	5
Net change	Democratic +1
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested	2
Net change	Republican +2
2009 Gubernatorial election results map
Legend
Republican gains   not up for election

The 2009 United States general elections were held on Tuesday, November 3. During this off-year election, the only seats up for election in the United States Congress were special elections held throughout the year. In total, only the seat representing New York's 23rd congressional district changed party hands, increasing the Democratic Party's majority over the Republicans in the United States House of Representatives, 258–177.

However, there were also several gubernatorial races and state legislative elections, and numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races in several major cities, and several types of local offices on the ballot.

United States Congress

Main article: Special elections to the 111th United States Congress

In total, there were five special elections to the United States House of Representatives during 2009. The only election which changed party hands (from Republican to Democratic) was in New York's 23rd congressional district.

Also, a primary election was held in Massachusetts on December 8, 2009, for the senate seat left open by the death of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy; the general special election for that later seat occurred on January 19, 2010.

Governors

Main article: United States gubernatorial elections, 2009

New Jersey and Virginia, along with the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands, held gubernatorial elections in 2009. Both governorships in New Jersey and Virginia changed party hands from Democrat to Republican. Meanwhile, the local Covenant Party maintained control of the governorship of the Marianas.

State legislatures

Legislative elections were held for the New Jersey General Assembly, the Virginia House of Delegates and the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature.

Municipalities

Cities, counties, school boards, special districts and others elect members in 2009. Several large cities held mayoral elections in 2009, including: New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Houston, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Antonio, and Detroit. Memphis, Tennessee also had a special election to replace former mayor Willie Herenton.

Some of these mayoral elections included the following:

• Albuquerque, New Mexico - Richard J Berry (R) defeated Incumbent Mayor Martin Chavez (D).
• Albany, New York - Incumbent Mayor Gerald Jennings (D) defeated Working Families Party candidate Corey Ellis and Nathan LeBron (R).
• Anchorage, Alaska - Dan Sullivan (R) was elected mayor.
• Atlanta, Georgia - Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) was term-limited. Kasim Reed (D) defeated Mary Norwood (D) in a runoff election.
• Austin, Texas - Incumbent Mayor Will Wynn (D) was term-limited.
• Boston, Massachusetts - Incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino (D) defeated Michael F. Flaherty (D).
• Buffalo, New York - Incumbent Mayor Byron Brown (D) defeated Michael Kearns (D).
• Charlotte, North Carolina - Anthony Foxx (D) defeated John Lassiter (R)
• Detroit, Michigan - Incumbent Mayor Dave Bing (D) defeated Tom Barrow (D)
• Houston, Texas - Mayor Bill White (D) was term-limited. In a runoff election, Annise Parker (D) defeated Gene Locke (D).
• Jersey City, New Jersey- Incumbent Mayor Jerramiah Healy (D) defeated Louis Manzo (D), L. Harvey Smith (D) and other minor candidates.
• Lancaster, Pennsylvania - Incumbent Mayor Rick Gray (D) defeated Charlie Smithgall (R).
• Los Angeles, California - Incumbent Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) defeated Walter Moore (R).
• Manchester, New Hampshire - Ted Gatsas (R) elected mayor succeeding mayor Frank Guinta (R).
• Minneapolis, Minnesota - Incumbent Mayor R.T. Rybak (DFL) was re-elected.
• New York, New York - Incumbent Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) was re-elected.
• Omaha, Nebraska - City councilman Jim Suttle was elected mayor after incumbent Mike Fahey declined to run for re-election.
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Incumbent Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D) was re-elected.
• Rochester, New York - Incumbent Mayor Robert Duffy (D) was unopposed. (The next year, he was elected Lieutenant Governor of New York.)
• San Antonio, Texas - Incumbent Mayor Phil Hardberger was term-limited. He was succeeded by Democrat Julian Castro.
• Seattle, Washington - Incumbent Mayor Greg Nickels (D) defeated in the primary in August 2009. Mike McGinn (D) defeated Joe Mallahan (D).
• St. Paul, Minnesota - Incumbent Mayor Chris Coleman (DFL) was re-elected.
• Syracuse, New York - Incumbent Matt Driscoll (D) was term limited. Stephanie Miner (D) defeated Steve Kimatian (R) and Conservative Otis Jennings.
• Tulsa, Oklahoma - Mayor Kathy Taylor did not seek re-election. Dewey F. Bartlett, Jr. (R) defeated Tom Adelson (D).