Mayoral elections in Syracuse, New York


Elections are held in Syracuse, New York, to choose the city's mayor. Currently, these elections are regularly scheduled to be held once every four years, with the elections taking place in the off-year immediately after United States presidential election years. The current mayor of Syracuse is Sharon Owens, who assumed office in 2026.

2009

The 2009 Syracuse mayoral election was held on November 3, 2009. The incumbent mayor, Democrat Matt Driscoll, was term limited. Democrat Stephanie Miner defeated Republican Steve Kimatian, 50%-39%, and Conservative Party of New York candidate Otis Jennings finished a distant 3rd, with 10% of the vote. Miner became the city's first female leader.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Steve Kiatian defeated Otis Jennings. Jennings had carried the endorsement of the local Republican Party organization.

Conservative nomination

  • Otis Jennings, after receiving an overwhelming endorsement from the Syracuse Republican Party, Jennings lost in the September primary for the Republican nomination. Days after the primary, he decided to continue campaigning, and received the nomination from the Conservative Party of New York.

General election

The general election took place on November 3, 2009.

2013

The 2013 Syracuse mayoral election was held on November 5, 2013, in Syracuse, New York. The incumbent mayor, Democrat Stephanie Miner, ran for re-election. She defeated Conservative candidate Ian Hunter and Green Party candidate Kevin Bott, winning 68% of the vote. The Republican Party did not field a candidate in this election, the first time in over a century that a Syracuse mayor ran unopposed by a major party candidate.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Other nominations

Conservative

  • Ian Hunter – project manager
Hunter collected signatures to run on the Republican line but was kept off of the ballot by the efforts of the Onondaga Republican Party chairman.

Green

  • Kevin Bott – non-profit director

General election results

The general election took place on November 5, 2013.

2017

The 2017 mayoral election in Syracuse, New York was held on November 7, 2017, and resulted in the election of Ben Walsh, an independent, to his first term as mayor.

Background

Incumbent mayor Stephanie Miner, a member of the Democratic Party, was first elected in 2009 and was re-elected in 2013, but was term limited in 2017. Syracuse last elected a Republican Party mayor in 1997, and in the 2013 election Republicans did not field a candidate.

General election

Five candidates appeared on the general election ballot: Green Party nominee Howie Hawkins, who had run for office 20 times since 1991; Democratic Party nominee Juanita Perez Williams, the city's former corporation counsel; Independence Party, Reform Party and Upstate Jobs Party nominee Ben Walsh, a business development director and the son of U.S. Representative James T. Walsh; Republican nominee Laura Lavine, a former Lafayette School District superintendent; and Working Families Party nominee Joe Nicoletti, who remained on the Working Families party line after unsuccessfully seeking the Democratic nomination and did not campaign. City auditor Martin Masterpole also sought the Democratic nomination.

2021

The Syracuse mayoral election of 2021 was held November 2, 2021. Incumbent Independent mayor Ben Walsh was seeking re-election to a second term in office. The local committees of the Democratic, Republican, Conservative, and Working Families parties each endorsed a candidate, however the candidates who did not receive their party's endorsement could force a primary if they wished.

Background

In 2017, incumbent Democratic mayor Stephanie Miner was term limited and could not seek reelection. Ben Walsh won the race to succeed her, defeating Democrat Juanita Perez Williams. Walsh comes from a family of Republican politicians. He is the son of Jim Walsh, former U.S. Representative from New York's 25th congressional district, and the grandson of William Walsh, former U.S. representative from New York's 33rd congressional district and former Mayor of Syracuse. However, Walsh himself is registered as an Independent, and was the first Independent elected mayor of Syracuse in 104 years. Walsh ran on three ballot lines: Independence, Reform, and a new line that he created for himself, Upstate Jobs. When Walsh confirmed that he would seek re-election, he did not clarify which lines he would campaign under.
Walsh sought the endorsement of the Working Families Party, one of four parties that surpassed the threshold for automatic ballot access in the 2020 presidential election, but did not receive it. He has received the nomination of the Independence Party, but will need to collect 1,500 signatures in order to ensure that the Independence line will be on the 2021 ballot. On May 25, 2021, Walsh submitted 2,538 signatures to create a dedicated party ballot line.

Democratic primary

The Onondaga County Democratic Committee endorsed Greene on February 17, 2021. 58% of the committee's members voted for Greene, while 42% voted for Bey. However, Bey chose to continue his candidacy and force a primary.

Candidates

Declared

Republican primary

The Syracuse Republican Committee endorsed Burman as its mayoral candidate on January 21. However, despite receiving her party's endorsement, Burman did not officially declare her candidacy until March 10. Babilon entered the race on March 1, declaring his intent to force a primary against Burman. The primary was held on June 22.

Candidates

Declared

Conservative endorsement

The Conservative Party endorsed Burman as its mayoral candidate.

Endorsed candidate

Nominees/endorsements of parties without automatic ballot access

Independence Party

The Independence Party endorsed Walsh as its mayoral candidate on February 24. Because the party lost automatic ballot access in the 2020 presidential election, On May 25, 2021, Walsh submitted 2,538 signatures to create a dedicated party ballot line.
Endorsed candidate

Working Families endorsement

The Syracuse Working Families Committee chose not to endorse any candidate in the mayoral election, meaning that its ballot line would go unfilled.

Endorsed candidate

  • None

Not endorsed

Campaign websites

2025

The 2025 Syracuse mayoral election was held on November 4, 2025. The incumbent mayor, independent Ben Walsh, was term limited and not eligible for reelection. Deputy Mayor Democrat Sharon Owens won the election in a landslide, receiving 74% of the vote, defeating Republican Thomas Babilon, Independent Alfonso Davis, and Independent Tim Rudd. She is the first Black American to become mayor of Syracuse.

Democratic primary

Declared

Disqualified

  • Alfonso Davis, political consultant and perennial candidate
  • Jimmy Oliver, Syracuse Police Engagement Officer

Declined

  • Tim Rudd, former at-large common councilor ''''

Republican nomination

Nominee

  • Thomas Babilon, attorney and candidate for mayor in 2021

Withdrew

  • Tim Rudd, former Democratic at-large common councilor ''''

Independents

Declared

  • Alfonso Davis, Syracuse Common Councilor
  • Tim Rudd, former Democratic at-large common councilor