2018 Tel Aviv mayoral election

The 2018 Tel Aviv mayoral election was held on 30 October 2018 to elect the mayor of Tel Aviv. It saw the reelection of Ron Huldai to a fifth consecutive term.[1]

2018 Tel Aviv mayoral election
30 October 2018
Turnout44.17%
 
Candidate Ron Huldai Asaf Zamir
Party Israeli Labor Party City Majority
Popular vote 91,116 66,403
Percentage 46.86% 34.15%
 
Candidate Assaf Harel Natan Elnatan
Party We Are the City Shas
Popular vote 23,604 13,328
Percentage 12.14% 6.85%
Strongest candidate by quarter
Mayor before election

Ron Huldai
Independent

 Elected Mayor

Ron Huldai
Independent

The election was part of the 2018 Israeli municipal elections.

Candidates

Ran
  • Natan Elnatan (Shas), deputy mayor[1]
  • Assaf Harel (We Are the City), comedian[1]
  • Ron Huldai (One Tel Aviv), incumbent mayor since 1998[1]
  • Asaf Zamir (City Majority), deputy mayor and founder and chairman of "City Majority"[1]

Declined

Campaigning

A popular four-term incumbent, Ron Huldai had never before faced a serious reelection challenge.[1]

Lacking name recognition when he announced his candidacy, Asaf Zamir's prospects were initially considered a longshot. However, in the months after launching his campaign, Zamir saw his support rise.[1] Before the election results came in, it was anticipated that he would at least force Huldai into a runoff election.[1] As of July, a poll by Walla News showed Zamir in third place with only 11% of the vote, behind Huldai and prospective candidate Stav Shaffir.[3] However, after Shaffir's made clear she would not be a candidate in the election, Zamir gradually climbed in support, posing a credible challenge to Huldai.[3] Some polling shortly before the election showed Huldai with only a single-digit lead over Zamir.[3]

Attacks on Zamir included accusations of crony capitalism related to his marriage to Maya Wertheimer, which made his grandfather-in-law billionaire Stef Wertheimer. Stef Wertheimer personally funded part of Zamir's reelection campaign.[1]

Huldai and Zamir shared many similar political concerns, both advocating for lowering the price of housing, improvements to public transportation, and increasing the livability of the city.[1]

Zamir promised to address housing needs by building the city vertically, adding high-rise apartments along busier roadways that can accommodate such buildings.[3] He also proposed expanding the city center by renovating more distant neighborhoods in order to enable people to live further from the city's geographic core, without feeling removed from the city.[3]

Polling
Date Polling firm Sample Size Margin of error Vote share
Natan
Elnatan		 Zippi Brand
Frank		 Ron
Huldai		 Meital
Leavi		 Stav
Shaffir		 Yair
Tzabari		 Asaf
Harel		 Assaf
Zamir		 Undecided Will not vote
Mid-October 2018 Panels Research Institute[5] -27.6%---10.1%23.9%
October 2018 Panels Research Institute[6] 505 ±4.4% 6.0%-25.7%---7.3%20.0%35.3%5.7%
Early October 2018 Panels Politix Research Institute/Walla News[7] 513 7%-32%---9%23%29%-
August 2018 Channel 2[4] -2%45%1%14%-10%--
July 2018 Panels Politix Research Institute/Walla News[2] --25%4%15%3%-11%40%-

Results

The results in Tel Aviv, with 203,018 voters participating of 440,205 eligible, are as follows. Of the 203,018 votes, 194,451 were valid (marking 44.17% turnout).

Since Huldai's share of the vote exceeded the 40% threshold required to avert a runoff election, no runoff was held.[1]

Huldai was seen as managing to both retain his strong support among the city's younger electorate, as well as retain a base of fervent supporters among a minority of the city's older residents.[1]

Candidate Party name Votes %
Ron Huldai (incumbent) One Tel Aviv תל אביב 1‎, Tel Aviv Ahat 91,116 46.86%
Asaf Zamir City Majority רוב העיר‎, Rov HaIr 66,403 34.15%
Assaf Harel We Are the City אנחנו העיר‎, Anahnu HaIr 23,604 12.14%
Natan Elnatan Shas ש"ס‎ 13,328 6.85%
Source: Ministry of the Interior[8]

References
  1. Wootliff, Raoul (31 October 2018). "Tel Aviv mayor fends off deputy, cruises to fifth term". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  2. "למרות השמות החדשים במרוץ - חולדאי מוביל | סקר וואלה! NEWS - וואלה! חדשות". וואלה! (in Hebrew). 16 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  3. Wootliff, Raoul; Lidman, Melanie (30 October 2018). "In Tel Aviv, upstart deputy gives mayor first real scare in decades". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  4. "Poll: Huldai will handily beat any other Tel Aviv mayoral candidate". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  5. "Poll: Gap between Huldai and Zamir narrows to 3.5%". Times of News. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  6. Cohen, Moshe (11 October 2018). "סקר לראשות עיריית ת"א: חולדאי מוביל בפער קטן על זמיר". www.maariv.co.il. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  7. "הבחירות לעיריית ת"א: קרב צמוד בין זמיר לחולדאי, 29% עדיין מתלבטים - וואלה! חדשות". וואלה! (in Hebrew). 9 October 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  8. "1800 7.11 תוצאות.xlsx". www.moin.gov.il. Ministry of the Interior. 2017. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020.
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