Beginning shortly after the city's incorporation as a city in 1846, elections have been held in the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. The following article provides information on the elections for mayor in the city during the 21st century.
The city of Manchester, New Hampshire, held its first mayoral election in 1846.
The city's mayoral elections are currently are nonpartisan, a change which was adopted before the 1997 election. While, prior to 1997, elections had long been partisan, there had been stretches previous to 1999 in which the city's mayoral elections had been nonpartisan, including the stretch of four elections held from 1953 through 1959.
Under current election laws, to be eligible to be elected mayor, one must be a resident of the city for at least one year prior to filing for the office of mayor.
Elections throughout the 20th century have been for two-years terms, as has been the case in the city since the 1880 election.
There are no term limits.
The 2001 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 6, 2001, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Robert A. Baines.
The election was formally nonpartisan.
Before the general election, a nonpartisan primary election was held on September 18, 2001, to determine the two candidates who would appear on the general election ballot. The general and primary elections both coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen and welfare commissioner. The general election also coincided with a school board election and two ballot questions.
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General election<br />
The 2003 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 4, 2003, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Robert A. Baines to a third consecutive term.
The election was formally nonpartisan. The election coincided with that for the Manchester Board of Aldermen. Before the general election, a nonpartisan primary election was held on September 16, 2003, to determine the two candidates who would appear on the general election ballot.
While the election was formally nonpartisan, some candidates had publicly-known political affiliations. Baines and Shaw were both Democrats. Carlos Gonzalez was a Republican.
Gonzalez was the first Hispanic mayoral candidate in the city's history.
Primary election<br />
General election<br />
The 2005 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 8, 2005, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw Frank Guinta unseat the incumbent mayor Robert A. Baines. The election was formally nonpartisan.
Before the general election, a nonpartisan primary election was held on September 20, 2005, to determine the two candidates who would appear on the general election ballot. The general and primary elections both coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen.
Primary election<br />
General election<br />
The 2007 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 6, 2007, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw incumbent mayor Frank Guinta win reelection.
The election was formally nonpartisan.
Before the general election, a nonpartisan primary election was held on September 18, 2007, to determine the two candidates who would appear on the general election ballot. The general and primary elections both coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen.
Shortly after announcing his candidacy, Donovan received the endorsement of Chris Dodd, United States senator from Connecticut and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
In the general election, Donovan was elected by Teamsters Local 633.
Primary election<br />
General election<br />
The 2009 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 3, 2009, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. Alderman and State Senator Ted Gatsas defeated Alderman Mark Roy by a margin of 56% to 43% in the November 3 general election.
Before the general election, a nonpartisan primary election was held on September 15, 2009, to determine the two candidates that would appear on the general election ballot. The primary and general elections both coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen.
Manchester's mayoral elections are non-partisan, occur every two years, and there are no term limits. The incumbent mayor, Frank Guinta, had served since 2006. Guinta stated in the spring of 2009 that he would not run for reelection and subsequently announced that he would run to represent New Hampshire's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in 2010 challenging incumbent Carol Shea-Porter.
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Declined
Primary election<br />
General election<br />
The 2011 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 8, 2011, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw incumbent mayor Ted Gatsas win reelection. The election coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen.
The 2013 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 5, 2003, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. Incumbent mayor Ted Gatsas won reelection to a third consecutive term. He defeated city alderman Patrick Arnold. While the election was formally nonpartisan, Arnold was a known Democrat and Gatsas was a known Republican.
Before the general election, a nonpartisan primary election was held on September 17, 2013, to determine the two candidates that would appear on the general election ballot. The primary and general elections both coincided with those for the Manchester Board of Aldermen.
Primary election<br />
General election<br />
The 2015 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 3, 2015, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Ted Gatsas, a member of the Republican Party, to his fourth consecutive term. The election was incredibly narrow, with Gatsas winning by a mere 85 votes.
The election was formally nonpartisan.
Prior to the general election, a nonpartisan primary election was held on September 15, 2015, to select the two candidates who appeared on the ballot in the general election.
While the election was formally nonpartisan, numerous candidates had publicly-known political affiliations. For instance, Arnold was a known Democrat and Gatsas was a known Republican.
Primary election<br />
General election<br /> The original unofficial count saw Gatsas leading by a 75-vote margin. After a recount, Gatsas was found to have indeed won the election.
The 2017 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 7, 2017, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the election of Joyce Craig, a member of the Democratic Party, to her first term, unseating Republican incumbent Ted Gatsas. Craig became the city's first female mayor.
The election was formally nonpartisan.
Prior to the general election, a nonpartisan primary election was held on September 19, 2017, to select the two candidates who appeared on the ballot in the general election.
Though Manchester's municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates tend to associate themselves with either the Democratic Party or Republican Party. Ted Gatsas, a member of the Republican Party, had been mayor since 2010. Former Manchester alderman Joyce Craig, a member of the Democratic Party, had previously challenged Gatsas in 2015. In the 2016 presidential election, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton received around 3,000 more votes than Republican nominee Donald Trump in Manchester.
Gatsas announced in June 2017 that he would seek a fifth term. Craig also filed her candidacy in June 2017. Joshua Dallaire and perennial candidate Glenn Ouellette also ran.
Craig and Gatsas placed first and second respectively in the primary election and advanced to the general election.
Craig received support from Democratic politicians including Joe Biden, Eric Garcetti, Martin O'Malley and Tim Ryan.
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General election<br />
New Hampshire's U.S. senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan praised Craig's election as Manchester's first female mayor. Craig was sworn in on January 2, 2018. Gatsas was elected to the Executive Council of New Hampshire in 2018 and re-elected in 2020.
The 2019 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 7, 2019, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Joyce Craig, a member of the Democratic Party.
Prior to the general election, a nonpartisan primary election was held on September 17, 2019, to select the two candidates to be included on the general election ballot.
Though Manchester's municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates tend to associate themselves with either the Democratic Party or Republican Party. Victoria Sullivan, a member of the Republican Party, had been a two-term member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Incumbent mayor and former Manchester alderman Joyce Craig, a member of the Democratic Party, had previously unsuccessfully challenged former mayor Ted Gatsas in 2015 and won against him in a 2017 rematch. In the 2016 presidential election, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton received around 3,000 more votes than Republican nominee Donald Trump in Manchester.
Craig announced in April 2019 that she would seek a second term. Sullivan also filed her candidacy in April 2019. Joshua Dallaire and Independent perennial candidate Glenn Ouellette also ran.
Craig and Sullivan placed first and second respectively in the primary election and advanced to the general election.
Craig received support from Democratic politicians including U.S. Representative Chris Pappas, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan.
Primary election<br />
General election<br />
The 2021 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021. This election saw incumbent mayor Joyce Craig, a member of the Democratic Party, re-elected to a third term. Members of the Board of Aldermen, Board of School Committee, Ward Moderators, Clerks and Selectmen were also elected on November 2 in coinciding elections.
Though Manchester's municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates tend to associate themselves with either the Democratic Party or Republican Party. Victoria Sullivan, a member of the Republican Party, had been a two-term member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and previously ran in the 2019 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election. Richard Girard, a member of the Republican Party, is a former alderman and former at-large representative on the Manchester School District school board who previously ran for mayor in 2001. Incumbent mayor and former Manchester alderman Joyce Craig, a member of the Democratic Party, had previously unseated former mayor Ted Gatsas in a 2017 rematch after to losing to him in 2015. She had won re-election to a second term in the 2019 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election against Victoria Sullivan.
In the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received 29,464 votes in Manchester, while the Republican ticket of Donald Trump and Mike Pence received 22,127 votes and the Libertarian ticket of Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen received 1,015 votes.
Victoria Sullivan announced a run for mayor in April 2021. Craig also announced in April 2021 that she would seek a third term. Richard Girard, who was a former alderman and former at-large representative on the Manchester School District school board, announced he would be running in April 2021 as well.
After the primary, third-place finisher Girard requested a recount.
Primary election<br />
General election<br />
The 2023 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 7, 2023. The incumbent mayor Joyce Craig, a member of the Democratic Party, announced that she would not seek re-election and would instead focus on a run for New Hampshire governor in 2024. This election saw Jay Ruais, a member of the Republican Party, elected to his first term, defeating Democratic Ward 1 alderman and former state senator Kevin Cavanaugh by a margin of 488 votes.
Members of the Board of Aldermen, Board of School Committee, Ward Moderators, Clerks and Selectmen were also elected on November 7 in coinciding elections.
Though Manchester's municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates tend to associate themselves with either the Democratic Party or Republican Party. Jay Ruais, a member of the Republican Party, served as an infantry officer for the New Hampshire Army National Guard and had previously worked as chief of staff for former U.S. Representative Frank Guinta. Incumbent mayor Joyce Craig, a member of the Democratic Party, had previously unseated former mayor Ted Gatsas in a 2017 rematch after losing to him in 2015. She had won re-election to a third term in the 2021 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election against Victoria Sullivan.
Endorsements in bold were made after the first round.
Primary election<br />
General election<br />
The 2025 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election will be held on November 4, 2025. The incumbent mayor Jay Ruais, a member of the Republican Party, has declared his campaign for reelection.
Though Manchester's municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, candidates tend to associate themselves with either the Democratic Party or Republican Party. Incumbent mayor Jay Ruais, a Republican, defeated Democratic Ward 1 alderman Kevin Cavanaugh and was elected mayor, swinging the mayoral seat from Democrat to Republican-held after its previous incumbent, Joyce Craig, opted to run for the 2024 New Hampshire gubernatorial election instead. Craig later lost to Republican Kelly Ayotte.
In March 2025, Republican Ward 6 alderman Crissy Kantor announced her bid against Ruais; however, she opted to run for reelection instead. No Democratic challenger stepped forward until July 24, 2025, when Democratic Ward 8 school board member Jessica Spillers announced her bid, one day before the filing deadline.
Since only two candidates filed by the July 25 deadline, no mayoral primary would be held on September 16, and both candidates advanced to the November 4 general election.
In the 2024 presidential election, the Democratic ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz earned 27,729 votes in Manchester, while the Republican ticket of Donald Trump and JD Vance earned 23,746 votes.
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