Louisville, Kentucky: Mayor Craig Greenberg Wins Second Term, Beating Shameka Parrish-Wright

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg won a second term on Tuesday, beating Metro Councilwoman Shameka Parrish-Wright in the city's first nonpartisan mayoral general election. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Greenberg had 57.6 percent of the vote, with 130,670 votes to 96,272 for Parrish-Wright, according to the Jefferson County Clerk's Office count reported by WDRB and WAVE. The results are unofficial and will be certified later by the Kentucky State Board of Elections.

Greenberg declared victory just before 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 3 at an election night party at The Conservatory Bar at the Galt House Hotel. "What a night, what an incredible night for our city. Tonight, we celebrate victory," he told supporters. "This election was not just about what we have accomplished over the past four years. Tonight, and every day and night moving forward, is about what we are going to accomplish the next four years." Parrish-Wright told The Courier Journal she had not called Greenberg and would not call him, and she pointed to the money gap in the race. "We were outspent 12 to one. So the fact that we were able to do this and cover this much ground and get this many people, it shows that what we do works," she said.

A first term run on safety, housing and downtown

Greenberg, 53, was first elected in 2022 and ran on his record. WDRB and WAVE reported that he centered his mayoralty and his campaign on public safety and affordable housing, with a focus on downtown redevelopment and the city's lower income areas. His administration approved a $1.1 billion city budget in June with more than $40 million for housing, plus funding for public safety, parks and roads. He pointed to projects including the proposed Slugger Field entertainment district, the reimagined Belvedere and work tied to Louisville Gardens and the Humana Tower, and he pledged to restore trust in the Louisville Metro Police Department.

The challenger and the campaign

Parrish-Wright serves on the Metro Council for District 3. A nonprofit leader, she ran as the more progressive candidate on affordability, pledging better public transit, municipally owned grocery stores, affordable housing and more open local government. She was endorsed by the Louisville chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. Greenberg was endorsed by the Louisville Democratic Party, Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey. The Courier Journal reported that Greenberg raised nearly $1 million through Oct. 19, while Parrish-Wright raised around $80,000. The two also clashed over data centers, including a proposed development near Rubbertown and Greenberg's six month moratorium on new hyperscale projects, which did not apply to that project.

What the new format meant

A 2024 state law made Louisville's mayoral and Metro Council elections nonpartisan, so candidates appeared on the general election ballot without party labels and the top two finishers in the primary advanced regardless of party. Both finalists are Democrats. In the May 19 primary, Greenberg took 53 percent and Parrish-Wright took 26 percent in a field of 10 candidates. Greenberg had also beaten Parrish-Wright in the 2022 Democratic primary, when she finished second before he won the general election against Republican Bill Dieruf. His second term begins in January 2027. Kentucky Lantern reported that Greenberg, backed by Beshear, said he wants to make early childhood education a reality for all 3 and 4 year olds in Louisville.