As more people hint at Memphis mayoral runs, it's a race for cash

Two prominent Memphis leaders joined the growing field of people who are considering but not quite entering the Memphis mayoral race.

Memphis City Councilman Frank Colvett acknowledged Friday that he is considering a run for mayor, making him the first white candidate to acknowledge a potential bid.

“I am looking at it. I am looking at very closely and I am speaking to my closest advisers and friends,” Colvett said

Colvett said if he ran his campaign would be focused on public safety – both police and providing social services so children can grow up in safe neighborhoods. Colvett has served on the Memphis City Council since 2015 and faces the two-term limit.

He is also a longtime statewide Republican Party member, a fact that opponents could focus on if he were to decide to run in largely Democratic Memphis.

Municipal elections, despite efforts to the contrary, remain ostensibly nonpartisan.

Rev. Keith Norman, who has had his name bandied about in recent weeks, said this week his decision hinged on whether Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner enters the race.

Bonner has said he is considering a run and will make an announcement in October.

Norman also acknowledged a widespread fear among many politicos in Memphis – too many Black candidates open the door to a diluted vote and a white candidate winning.

“We know that a crowded field of African-American contenders will open the door for what the African-American community does not want – that is a candidate who is not culturally connected to the community,” Norman said.

“Does not mean that I am not prayerfully considering the race, I am,” Norman said. He said if he ran, Norman would run as a unifying candidate but said it was too soon for him to announce anything.

Norman said a race with a wide array of Black candidates could allow a white candidate to win with 30% of the vote, acknowledging that he was talking about how Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland was first elected with 42% of the vote in 2015 without saying Strickland’s name.

Memphians don’t start voting for another year. There are no signs at key intersections. No ads playing on the TV or radio.

And while candidates are not broadly campaigning for votes, they’re quietly campaigning for cash. That race could lead to consolidation in the field ahead of next year’s filing deadline, observers say.

Political consultant Deidre Malone said as much last week during an appearance on the political talk show ABC24 This Week. She said a successful candidate would need to raise $500,000 – a tall task for multiple candidates in Memphis and Shelby County.

Strickland raised about $1 million for his campaign in 2019. Former Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer and former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton raised about $200,000 each.

There are three 2023 candidates in — Paul Young, Michelle McKissack and Van Turner — who have appointed treasurers for fundraising committees. They've all done so in the past month and have not yet had to disclose how much they've raised. A current elected official, who spoke about current candidates on the background to avoid angering current or prospective candidates, said Bonner, who overwhelmingly won reelection in August, is the early leader in the field and that’s in large part to his ability to fundraise.

“They have to raise at least $500,000 and spend it wisely,” the official said. “Sheriff Bonner is the favorite and [for] the others the pressure to raise money is increased to be able to compete with his popularity.”

The fall and early winter offer the other candidates a chance to put themselves in Bonner’s tier, the official said. “Just for example, if you had all those candidates, including Keith Norman. And Paul Young, announces a January that he's raised $350,000, he's in the game. He's a tier one.”

But to rank candidates now, ahead of significant fundraising and this far away from the election, the official said, is silly.

“To rank them now, the election is not now. The election is next October. Ranking them now is meaningless,” the official said.

Samuel Hardiman covers Memphis city government and politics for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by email at samuel.hardiman@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter at @samhardiman.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Frank Colvett, Keith Norman, Memphis mayor fundraising