Mayor Ginger Nelson’s vote percentage took a hit on Saturday night, but it wasn’t enough for either of her challengers to win the keys to the office on the third floor of City Hall.
On Saturday, Nelson, an attorney and former Amarillo EDC board member, won a second term as Amarillo mayor, winning 64 percent of the vote. Nelson’s closest rival, Claudette Smith, won about 25 percent of the vote, while activist Kip Billups won roughly 12 percent of the vote.
The results marked a drop in support for Nelson, as she previously won 79 percent of the vote to claim her first term in office in 2017. In that contest, she also faced two opponents - cybersecurity auditor James Lowder, and photo archivist Renea Dauntes.
Down ballot, voters also returned Elaine Hays, Freda Powell, Eddy Sauer, and Howard Scott Smith to the Amarillo City Council, with each winning better than 66 percent of the vote. Powell’s challenger, Treva Harper, came closest to ousting an incumbent in her race, winning 29 percent of the vote.
The Amarillo City Council’s new term is set to begin later this month.
Nelson/Photo by Campaign