SALT LAKE CITY — Mayor Erin Mendenhall will lead Salt Lake City for four more years after winning the 2023 election.
The Salt Lake County Clerk's Office told FOX 13 News Wednesday afternoon that they have finished counting ballots, with the exception of some ballots that may still be in the mail. However, there are not many of those expected.
Mendenhall's campaign said runner-up Rocky Anderson has called her to concede the race. Mendenhall led by 24% against Anderson as of 5 p.m.
“It’s an honor to be trusted to lead Salt Lake City for another four years and I’m grateful to the county clerk’s office for working so hard to finish counting ballots before the holiday," Mendenhall said.
The election was done by ranked-choice voting. This meant voters could list their candidates in order of preference, and then after one round, the eliminated candidate's votes would be given to whomever each voter's second choice was (if they chose to rank them).
The latest results:
- Mendenhall: 58% (25,770 votes)
- Anderson: 34% (15,183 votes)
- Valentine: 7% (3,113 votes)
“I’ve been at peace with this election for a long time now," Valentine said Tuesday night as election results trickled in. "I’m very happy with the work we’ve done to have a David and Goliath story of running a people’s campaign for $3000 against these mayors that go up onstage and out-debate these mayors."
Anderson was the city's mayor from 2000-2008 and mounted a campaign hoping to return to office this election year.
Mendenhall was elected to office in 2019 after Mayor Jackie Biskupski chose not to run after one single term to focus on family matters.
Throughout her campaign, Mendenhall touted various initiatives and progress she claims in affordable housing, public transit, and others.
Mendenhall's opponents largely challenged her on the homelessness issues in Salt Lake City. Mendenhall, however, earlier this month said it's "not a city-specific issue" and emphasized Salt Lake City's partnership with the State of Utah.
