2013 Tel Aviv mayoral election

The 2013 Tel Aviv mayoral election was held on 22 October 2013[1] to elect the mayor of Tel Aviv. It saw the reelection of Ron Huldai to a fourth consecutive term.

2013 Tel Aviv mayoral election
22 October 2013
Turnout28.7%
 
Candidate Ron Huldai Nitzan Horowitz Aharon Maduel
Party Israeli Labor Party Meretz City of All
Popular vote 70,048 50,166 11,368
Percentage 53.24% 38.13% 8.64%
Mayor before election

Ron Huldai
Independent

 Elected Mayor

Ron Huldai
Independent

The election was part of the 2013 Israeli municipal elections.

Candidates

Ran

Declined

Campaigning

Huldai, a former member of the Israeli Labor Party turned independent politician, ran as the nominee of his own "One Tel Aviv" party, which also ran a party list for the coinciding city council election.[4][5] In the past, the Labor Party had supported Huldai's slates for city council. In 2013, however, the Labor Party ran its own separate slate. The Labor Party supported Huldai in the mayoral race, however.[6][5]

Horowitz ran as the nominee of the Meretz party.[7] Horowitz was regarded as a popular member of the Knesset.[2] His made campaign promises to remedy issues related to school overcrowding, public transportation, parking, as well as to give more attention to the southern part of the city.[2]

If he had been elected, Horowitz, who was openly gay, would have been the first openly-gay mayor in the Middle East.[8] Tel Aviv is regarded as a gay-friendly city.[9] Huldai also positioned himself as an ally of the gay community.[9]

The characteristic which was seen as most distinguishing Aharon Maduel, the nominee of the City of All ("Ir Lekulanu") party, in the race was his status as a Sephardi Jew.[5][2] Yitzhak Laor wrote a piece in Haaretz endorsing Maduel as who he believed would be the best choice for the city's left-wing to vote for.[5] Maduel, however, was seen by some as splitting the vote of the city's more left-wing voters, harming the prospects of Horowitz.[5]

The race partially focused on discontent among the middle class. Horowitz attempted to capitalize off of these sentiments by criticizing Huldai as having focused on enhancing the lives of the wealthy, while ignoring the needs of poor and middle class residents.[10]

Huldai focused his campaign on his effort, taking credit for elevating the city as an international tourism destination, as well as claiming credit for elevating the vibrancy of the city.[10] He also heavily touted the city's popular bike sharing program and the expansion of the city's bike lanes, both implemented by his administration.[10]

Huldai was seen as a strong front-runner in the election.[9] Nonetheless, Horowitz was seen as a somewhat strong challenger.[2] Maduel was far behind the other two candidates in all polling.[2]

Polling
Date Poll
source		 Sample
size		 Margin
of error		 Nitzan
Horowitz		 Ron
Huldai		 Aharon
Maduel		 Undecided
October 2013 Magar Mochot/Maariv[11] 14%40%46%
October 2013 Meretz[2] 38%45%5%
October 2013 Huldai campaign[2] 27%46%
October 2013 [5] 26%53%
March 2013 Dialogue (for Meretz)[12][13] 33%50%17%

Results

Turnout was 28.7%.[14]

Nitzan Horowitz carried some parts of the city center and the city's old north. Aharon Maduel carried the southern portions of Jaffa.[15]

2013 Tel Aviv mayoral elections results[1]
Candidate Party Votes %
Ron Huldai (incumbent)One Tel Aviv70,04853.24
Nitzan HorowitzMeretz50,16638.13
Aharon MaduelCity of All11,3688.64
Total 131,582 100

References
  1. "רשומות ילקוט הפרסומים" (PDF). www.nevo.co.il. 17 November 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  2. Hartman, Ben (22 October 2013). "In Tel Aviv, a popular MK challenges a longtime mayor". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  3. Fiske, Gavriel (6 May 2013). "Meretz MK announces run for Tel Aviv mayor". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  4. Hartman, Ben (2 September 2013). "TA mayor launches reelection bid". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  5. Munguia, Hayley (17 October 2013). "Tel Aviv: Battle for the bubble". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  6. Lior, Illan (18 July 2013). "Labor Party splits from Huldai slate in Tel Aviv municipal elections". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  7. Jeffay, Nathan (15 October 2013). "Gay Candidate Nitzan Horowitz Seeks To Shake Up Tel Aviv Mayor Contest". The Forward. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  8. "Jerusalem mayor reelected; defeats far-right candidate". Newspapers.com. The Miami Herald. Reuters. 23 Oct 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  9. Halutz, Avshalom (21 October 2013). "Tel Aviv candidates vie to 'out-pink' each other in gay mecca's local election". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  10. Sales, Ben (23 October 2013). "In Israel's local (re)elections, implications for the national scene". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  11. "Some Weekend Elections Polls". The Yeshiva World. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  12. Lior, Ilan (3 May 2013). "Nitzan Horowitz to announce he's running for TA mayor". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  13. Harkov, Lahav (6 May 2013). "Meretz MK Horowitz joins Tel Aviv mayor race". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  14. Newman, Marissa (30 October 2018). "Israelis head to the polls, and the beach, as local elections kick off". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  15. "למרות השמות החדשים במרוץ - חולדאי מוביל | סקר וואלה! NEWS - וואלה! חדשות". וואלה! (in Hebrew). 16 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
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