Lubbock Reelects Dan Pope as Mayor

An effort to unseat incumbent Lubbock mayor Dan Pope by challenger Stephen Sanders fell short on Election Night (November 3rd, 2020).

KFYO News has now called the Lubbock mayoral race for Pope.

According to KAMC News, Pope had 56.2 percent of the vote around 8:30 p.m., with opponent Stephen Sanders at 43.8 percent.

Lubbock voters had more topics than usual to consider during the mayoral race thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has impacted people's health and normal behavior for the past eight months.

The local and state-wide response to COVID-19 alike started in earnest toward the end of March, with Mayor Pope's closure of many non-essential Lubbock businesses, including bars. Governor Greg Abbott in July instituted a face mask mandate in the Lone Star State, while also beginning to allow specific businesses, such as restaurant dining rooms and retailers, to reopen their doors.

In Lubbock County, October delivered a surge of new COVID-19 cases and death. In those four weeks alone, the city saw 7,085 number of new positive cases. To date, 214 people have died of COVID-19. The coronavirus first appeared in the Hub City in mid-March.

Additionally, controversy over comments made by Mayor Pope related to the re-opening of a Planned Parenthood clinic in the city garnered traction amongst citizens who were upset he didn't take a more forceful opposition to the women's healthcare and abortion provider.

"Telling Planned Parenthood they can’t come to Lubbock would be in some ways like telling United they couldn’t build another store or telling the Southern Baptist Convention they couldn’t do another church start in Lubbock,” Pope had said about Planned Parenthood's return to Lubbock.

This will be Pope's third term as mayor of Lubbock. He won his first election in May 2016 to take over for the outgoing Glen Robertson. Pope won his reelection bid two years later.