The 1979 San Diego mayoral election was held on September 18, 1979, to elect the mayor for San Diego. Incumbent Pete Wilson stood for reelection for a third term. As the result of a voter-approved amendment to the City Charter to align mayoral elections with state elections, the winner of the election stood to receive an extended five-year term.
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Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, though some candidates do receive funding and support from various political parties.[1] The non-partisan primary was held September 18, 1979. Wilson received a majority of the votes in the primary and was reelected mayor with no need for a runoff election.
Candidates
edit- Pete Wilson, mayor of San Diego[2]
- Simon Casady, former newspaper publisher[2]
- John Kelley, businessman and perennial candidate[3]
- Charlotte Buchanan, homemaker[3]
- Michael Gomez, high school counselor[3]
- Jerry Lester, pharmacist and minister[3]
- Raul Gonzalez[3]
Campaign
editOn June 19, 1979, former newspaper publisher Simon Casady announced he would run for mayor of San Diego. Casady was considered the strongest challenger to Wilson's attempt at a third term. Although the position of mayor is officially non-partisan, Casady, a liberal Democrat and long-time activist, hoped to run a partisan campaign against Wilson.[2] Wilson officially announced his candidacy for re-election on June 20, 1979. Wilson emphasized his positive record in his previous two terms as mayor in his re-election campaign.[4]
On September 18, 1979, Wilson was re-elected easily with 61.6 percent of the vote. Casady came in second with 31.6 percent of the vote. The five remaining candidates garnered less than 7 percent vote combined. Because Wilson received a majority of the vote, he was reelected outright with no need for a runoff election.[5]
Primary election results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pete Wilson (incumbent) | 90,530 | 61.6 | |
| Democratic | Simon Casady | 46,502 | 31.6 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Kelley | 3,158 | 2.1 | |
| Nonpartisan | Charlotte Buchanan | 2,398 | 1.6 | |
| Republican | Michael Gomez | 1,804 | 1.2 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jerry Lester | 1,677 | 1.1 | |
| Socialist Workers | Raul Gonzalez | 963 | 0.7 | |
| Total votes | 147,032 | 100 | ||
General election
editBecause Wilson was elected mayor with a majority of the votes in the primary, no runoff election was held.
References
edit- ^ "How to Run for Office". The City of San Diego-Office of the City Clerk. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
- ^ a b c Kipp, Ray (June 20, 1979). "Casady Announces Campaign for Mayor". The San Diego Union. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Harrison, Donald H. (August 12, 1979). "'Forgotten Five' Espouse Varied Causes As Mayoral Candidates". The San Diego Union. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ Kipp, Ray (June 21, 1979). "Wilson Seeks Third Term As Mayor". The San Diego Union. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ Harrison, Donald H. (September 19, 1979). "Mayor Wilson Wins Third Term Easily". The San Diego Union. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ "Election History - Mayor of San Diego" (PDF). City of San Diego. Retrieved March 10, 2017.