The NPA first fielded candidates in the December 9, 1936, municipal election, which saw their mayoral candidate, George Miller, elected to office. Prior to the 1939 election, a member of the NPA's executive, Nelson Spencer, broke away from the party and ran independently after the NPA chose the then-incumbent Miller as its mayoral candidate instead of Spencer. The result was a right-wing vote was split, and CCF candidate Lyle Telford was elected. Telford would only serve one term before NPA candidate Jack Cornett was elected in the 1940 election, beginning a decades-long period of NPA dominance on Vancouver City Council.
21st century
Jennifer Clarke was chosen to be the NPA's mayoral candidate for the 2002 municipal election, as opposed to the then-incumbent mayor Philip Owen. Owen had been in disagreement with the rest of the party leadership due to his support for harm reduction programs in the Downtown Eastside, although Clarke stated she was also in favour of such programs. The NPA ultimately lost the mayoral race, as well as its majority on city council, which it had maintained since 1986. Long-time city councillor Sam Sullivan was chosen as the NPA's candidate for the 2005 mayoral race, which he later won. The NPA also regained its majority on city council, winning a total of six seats. Peter Ladner was the NPA's mayoral candidate for the 2008 municipal election but was defeated by Gregor Robertson, the candidate for Vision Vancouver. The NPA's electoral platform during the 2008 election focused on reducing crime, improving housing affordability, leveraging the 2010 Winter Olympics, protecting the environment, advancing the city's arts and culture sector, and working collaboratively with senior levels of government, community groups, and the private sector. The party, led by Suzanne Anton as the NPA's mayoral candidate, once again lost to Robertson and Vision Vancouver in the 2011 municipal election but elected two members to Vancouver City Council. Two members also sat on the Parks Board, and three members sat on the Vancouver School Board. On October 16, 2016, provincial education minister Mike Bernier fired the school trustees elected during the 2014 municipal election for failing to pass a balanced budget. NPA incumbent Fraser Ballantyne was re-elected in the subsequent 2017 municipal by-election, alongside newcomer Lisa Dominato. City councillor Rebecca Bligh announced on December 6, 2019 that she was leaving the NPA and would continue to serve as an independent. She cited concerns over the NPA's newly elected executive team, which included members publicly opposed to the provincial sexual orientation and gender identification curriculum and former staff of the far-right Rebel Media. Other high profile NPA members, such as city councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung and 2018 mayoral candidate Ken Sim, also voiced concerns over the party's perceived shift to the right.
Electoral results
The NPA held a majority on Vancouver City Council from 1941 to 1967, 1970 to 1972, 1978 to 1982, 1986 to 2002, and from 2005 to 2008. It held the mayor's office from 1941 to 1958, from 1963 to 1970, from 1986 to 2002, and from 2005 to 2008. However, it has elected only three of the last eight mayors since 1972. Over the years, its opposition has been The Electors' Action Movement in the 1970s, the centre-left Coalition of Progressive Electors in the 1980s and 1990s, and centre-left Vision Vancouver in the 2000s and 2010s. There have been eleven NPA mayors of Vancouver:
