Greenberg wins second term in Louisville’s first non-partisan mayoral race

Craig Greenberg declared victory around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, hours before AP called the race.

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Incumbent Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg was declared the winner early Wednesday morning with 130,670 votes, defeating Metro Councilwoman Shameka Parrish-Wright, who received 96,272.

The race also made history. It was the first non-partisan mayoral contest in Louisville’s history, which means candidates ran without party labels next to their names, a change from past election cycles.

"We've made our neighborhoods safer, created new good-paying jobs, and opened the doors of opportunities for more Louisville families," Greenberg said during his victory speech at Louisville's Galt House. "We've shown that when we focus on the things that matter, when we work together, and when we refuse to settle, we can indeed make big things happen."

For Greenberg, the win secures another term leading the city. He has promised to continue his push for lower rates of violent crime and homelessness.

Parrish-Wright gathered with supporters at Roots 101 African American Museum. She did not give a concession speech, but did speak with journalists after Greenberg declared victory.

"I wanted to show that working-class people can be in these positions and run in these races to bring Louisville to a much better place," she said.

She said she wanted Charles Booker, who ran for Mitch McConnell's Senate seat, to run for mayor. But when he chose not to, she decided to "pick up the baton."

"I hope this sends a bigger message not just to people like Greenberg but to the whole Metro Council that we can lead Louisville better if we do it together", she said.

Where Is Jeff Yocum’s Number?

If you’ve been refreshing the results page and wondering why there’s no vote total for write-in Republican candidate Jeff Yocum, I asked the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office that exact question.

Here’s what they told me: the election center spent most of Wednesday counting the write-in votes. According to the election director, there were a total of 23,000 write-ins for all races. 11,000 were for Louisville mayor, with Jeff Yocum receiving a total of 8,298. 

Yocum wasn’t on the ballot because he withdrew from the primary and later registered as a write-in candidate.

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