NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville voters will head to the polls again in September to pick their next Mayor. Councilman Freddie O'Connell and conservative Alice Rolli were the top two vote-getters in Thursday's Metro election.
Conservative Alice Rolli and Matt Wiltshire were battling it out for the second slot for a potential runoff. Rolli ultimately took the second position.
With all precincts reporting, O'Connell was the top vote-getter Thursday night, with 27,370 votes. That's equal to 27.2% of the vote.
"This was about what we could achieve together," O'Connell said. "Tonight, we have to be clear. We didn't win. It was election day, but there is a runoff. Tonight's success is not the change we seek, but only a better chance to do that. We have to share the hope and faith we've had all along. The good news is we all believed in something better together. Tomorrow is a contest for the future of Nashville."
Earlier, O'Connell said he liked what he saw in early voting and absentee voting. He told NewsChannel 5 he had come to a place inside himself where he was OK with whatever outcome.
"I tell this to people who approach me about running for office," O'Connell said. "I have two different speeches for election night. You have to be prepared to win and do the job. For me, I made my peace with tonight over a year ago. I knew if I got in the race we had a goal and politics is one of the toughest things to consider in any regard. It's winner take all. I think I knew tonight was something aspirational and uncertain."
Once all votes were in, Rolli was in second place with 20,458 votes, or 20.2% of the votes cast.
"For so many years, it's nonpartisan as long as you're a Democrat," Rolli said at her election party. "But talented people are here who want to serve the city. Working for Gov. Haslam and Sen. Alexander, I thought I could be that bridge. I don't think our city has been successful when we've elected people out of the council. Too frequently, they appease the council and don't manage the city. I bring a different perspective from the business spectrum and state level."
WHY IS A RUNOFF TRIGGERED?
Like it or not, a runoff race goes back to the wording of Metro's founding charter 60 years ago.
A runoff happens when no candidate reaches a 51% threshold of the total amount of votes in the mayor's race. That means the top two candidates head to a final race.
The runoff for Nashville mayor is Sept. 14.
NewsChannel 5's debate with the top two on the ballot is Aug. 24 at Belmont University at 6:30 p.m.
MAYORAL FINANCES
In this year's Nashville race, around $4.5 million were raised from individual donors to the candidates.
Unlike the majority of candidates, Matt Wiltshire fundraised heavily in 2022, which brought him into the race in 2023 with nearly $900,000. Overall, Wiltshire was the biggest fundraiser in the race — collecting nearly $2 million.
Sen. Jeff Yarbro trailed in donations at around $715,000 with Councilman Freddie O'Connell at around $521,000. All candidates after these three raised substantially less.
Fundraising wasn't the total financial picture. Nearly $3.6 million entered the mayor's race through personal wealth.
Candidate Jim Gingrich — who backed out of the race in mid-July — told his supporters to find another candidate. Meanwhile, he loaned himself around $2.6 million and raised just under $300,000.
Wiltshire received heavy financial backing from supporters but also loaned himself nearly $800,000. Alice Rolli gave herself around $155,000 while Natisha Brooks loaned herself nearly $63,000. Several candidates didn't dig into their own pockets at all, leaving their loan totals at zero.
