Who is Paul Young? Memphis' new mayor. Here's what to know.
Paul Young, the current head of the Downtown Memphis Commission, will be the next mayor of Memphis.
With 27.62% of the vote Thursday, Young won the mayoral race with 24,408 total votes — 4,500 more than his closest competitor, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner.
Here's what to know about Memphis' next mayor.
Who is Paul Young, the new Memphis mayor?
Young was born and raised in Memphis. He and his wife, Dr. Jamila Smith-Young, are Memphis natives and are raising their daughter and son in the city they grew up in. Young, who was 43 when elected mayor, turns 44 on Oct. 7.
He decided he wanted to rebuild neighborhoods, going on to study city and regional planning at the University of Memphis.
Paul Young's career background
Young was named the CEO and President of the Downtown Memphis Commission in 2021. He has worked with the commission for the past 20 years as a city planner and engineer during his time helping rebuild parts of Memphis.
What are Paul Young's accomplishments?
During his time working for the City of Memphis, the first Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the city was established and money was invested in Melrose High School and Collins Chapel. He has worked with current Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland for the past six years, both during his time working for the city and during his time with the Downtown Memphis Commission.
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Paul Young's campaign for Memphis
One of the key features of Young's campaign was that he has never held public office. He campaigned on the promise of bringing jobs and a strong economy to Memphis. Young also advocated for investing in youth and arts as well as rebuilding neighborhood communities.
Young gained much popularity with moderates for his lack of political investment previously and gained popularity with younger voters as one of the youngest of the mayoral candidates.
What is Paul Young's political party affiliation?
Even though the Memphis mayoral race is nonpartisan, there is always heavy influence from one party or another. Young has primarily run on a Democratic platform though he has voted in Republican primaries, which drew criticism from opponents. Young said he did so to vote against former President Donald Trump.
Who endorsed Paul Young?
Young's endorsements featured a wide variety of characters. The organizations that endorsed him include Shelby County Young Democrats, GenNextPAC and Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood, who also endorsed mayoral candidate Van Turner. Individuals who endorsed Paul Young include local rapper NLE Choppa, former Grizzlies player Elliot Perry, and movie director Craig Brewer.
When does Paul Young officially take office?
After beating out 17 other candidates on Thursday, Paul Young will officially take office on Jan. 1.
Memphis mayor election results
With all of the 98 precincts reporting and two concessions from other leading mayoral candidates, unofficial election results gave Paul Young the win in the race for Memphis mayor. Here's how the results broke down:
Paul A. Young | 24,408 | 27.6% |
Floyd Bonner | 19,895 | 22.5% |
Willie Herenton | 18,990 | 21.5% |
Van Turner | 18,778 | 21.2% |
J.W. Gibson | 2,175 | 2.5% |
Michelle McKissack | 1,437 | 1.6% |
Joe Brown | 1,028 | 1.2% |
Karen Camper | 591 | 0.7% |
James Harvey | 325 | 0.4% |
Brandon A. Price | 129 | 0.1% |
Carnita Atwater | 122 | 0.1% |
Tekeva "Keva" Shaw | 95 | 0.1% |
Jennings Bernard | 89 | 0.1% |
Reggie Hall | 77 | 0.1% |
Write-In | 77 | 0.1% |
Kendra C. Calico | 57 | 0.1% |
Derek Winn | 57 | 0.1% |
Justina Ragland | 53 | 0.1% |
Commercial Appeal reporter Katherine Burgess contributed to this report. Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email at Jordan.Green@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @_green_jordan_
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Who is Memphis' new mayor? Here's what to know about Paul Young
