1983 San Diego mayoral special election

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1983 San Diego mayoral special election
Flag of San Diego, California.svg
←  1979 May 3, 1983 (1983-05-03) 1984  →
  Mayor Hedgecock.jpg Maureen O'Connor.jpg
Nominee Roger Hedgecock Maureen O'Connor
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote105,38596,238
Percentage52.3%47.7%
Mayor before election

Bill Cleator (acting)
Republican

Elected Mayor

Roger Hedgecock
Republican

The 1983 San Diego mayoral special election was held on May 3, 1983, to elect the mayor for San Diego. The special election was necessary due to former mayor Pete Wilson's resignation to take a seat in the United States Senate.

Contents

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 March 15, 1983. Maureen O'Connor and Roger Hedgecock received the most votes and advanced to the May runoff. Hedgecock received a majority of the votes in the May election, and was elected mayor for the remainder of Wilson's term.

Pete Wilson resignation

In November 1982, San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson was elected to the United States Senate representing California. On January 3, 1983, Wilson resigned as mayor of San Diego to be sworn in as a senator. Deputy Mayor Bill Cleator served as acting mayor until an election could be held to fill the office for the remainder of Wilson's third term. [2]

Candidates

Campaign

Four candidates with prior elected experience contested the special mayoral election. Former city council member Maureen O'Connor, a Democrat, was considered the early front-runner and likely to advance to a runoff election, if not win the first round outright. O'Connor's major opponents in the first round election included county supervisor Roger Hedgecock, city council member and acting mayor Bill Cleator, and city council member Bill Mitchell, all self-identified Republicans. [3] In addition to the main four candidates, an additional 16 other candidates qualified for the ballot. [4]

In her campaign, O'Connor proposed freezing utility rates, focusing on creating jobs, and improving public transportation. [5] Hedgecock ran as a political moderate and emphasized environmental protection. [6] Cleator positioned himself as a pro-business Republican, and he criticized Hedgecock as a renegade Republican. [7]

On March 15, 1983, O'Connor came in first in the primary with 36.8 percent of the vote, followed by Hedgecock with 31.1 percent of the vote. Cleator finished in third with 25.6 percent of the vote. Mitchell, whose campaign never really took off, trailed behind in fourth with only 5.0 percent of the vote. None of the 16 minor candidates received more than 1 percent individually. [8]

Because no candidate received a majority of the vote, O'Connor and Hedgecock advanced to a runoff election scheduled for May 3, 1983. Hedgecock ultimately prevailed in the runoff with 52.2 percent of the vote, and was elected mayor. [8]

Primary election results

San Diego mayoral special primary election, 1983 [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Maureen O'Connor 66,054 36.8
Republican Roger Hedgecock 55,811 31.1
Republican Bill Cleator 46,06225.6
Republican Bill Mitchell9,0285.0
Nonpartisan Rich Riel1,2390.7
Nonpartisan Joe Jaffe1,1520.6
Nonpartisan Don Parker5580.3
Nonpartisan Rosalyn4160.2
Nonpartisan George Hollis3840.2
Nonpartisan William Armstrong3120.2
Nonpartisan Paul Clark2760.2
Nonpartisan Jim Cunradi2690.1
Nonpartisan Dan Russell2360.1
Nonpartisan Oren Cox2270.1
Nonpartisan Jerry Shine1840.1
Nonpartisan Alex Weaver1740.1
Nonpartisan John Yuskiw1720.1
Nonpartisan Art Walters990.1
Nonpartisan Leon Haake75–
Nonpartisan Walter Sweadner34–
Total votes179,620 100

Runoff election results

San Diego mayoral special runoff election, 1983 [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Roger Hedgecock 105,385 52.3
Democratic Maureen O'Connor 96,23847.7
Total votes201,623 100

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References

  1. ↑ "How to Run for Office". The City of San Diego-Office of the City Clerk. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  2. ↑ Perry, Anthony (January 2, 1983). "Wilson Will Be Leaving A Changed City". The San Diego Union. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Perry, Anthony (February 13, 1983). "3 Battle for O'Connor Runoff". The San Diego Union. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Smolens, Michael (January 25, 1983). "20 of 21 Aspirants Qualify in Mayor Vote". The San Diego Union. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  5. ↑ Perry, Anthony (March 11, 1983). "4 Mayoral Rivals Claim Victory in Forum". The San Diego Union. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  6. ↑ Sottili, Carol (March 4, 1983). "Sharp-Tongued Hedgecock Stresses Coalition-Building". The San Diego Union. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  7. ↑ Perry, Anthony (March 16, 1983). "O'Connor, Hedgecock Gain Mayoral Runoff". The San Diego Union. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Election History - Mayor of San Diego" (PDF). City of San Diego. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
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