1985 Los Angeles mayoral election

1985 Los Angeles mayoral election

←  1981 April 9, 1985 (1985-04-09) 1989  →

Candidate Tom Bradley John Ferraro Popular vote 313,318 141,499 Percentage 67.61% 30.53%

Mayor before election Tom Bradley Elected Mayor Tom Bradley

The 1985 Los Angeles mayoral election took place on April 9, 1985. Incumbent Tom Bradley was re-elected over councilmember John Ferraro. ^[1] Bradley's re-election would give him a fourth term, an unprecedented feat in the office as no mayor except for James R. Toberman (from 1878 to 1882) had been re-elected to a fourth consecutive term. ^{[2] [a]}

Election

Bradley had previously run for Governor of California in 1982, a year after his re-election in 1981, but lost to George Deukmejian. Bradley had been speculated to try for Governor again in 1986, but in January 1985, Bradley announced his run for an unprecedented fourth term. ^{[3] [4]} He was mainly challenged by councilman Ferraro, who was viewed as a more moderate option to Bradley. ^[5] Bradley was widely expected to win re-election, with polls showing Bradley ahead of Ferraro. ^{[6] [7]} Polls also showed that Bradley was mostly supported by non-white Democrats while Ferraro was supported by white Republicans, even though both were Democrats. ^[8] Bradley won outright and won election to a fourth term in office, the first time in Los Angeles history that someone was elected to a fourth full term. ^[2]

Results

Los Angeles mayoral general election, April 9, 1985 ^[9]

Candidate		Votes	%
Tom Bradley (incumbent)		313,318	67.61
John Ferraro		141,499	30.53
Eileen Anderson		1,899	0.41
William Loska		1,878	0.41
Venus De Milo		1,404	0.30
Walter R. Buchanan		1,126	0.24
Sal Genovese		921	0.20
James E. Harris		730	0.16
Judy L. Huffman		658	0.14
Total votes		463,433	100.00

References and footnotes

1. Toberman's tenure was shorter than Bradley's, as mayos only held office for one year.

1. "Bradley elected to fourth term in LA mayor race". The Desert Sun . April 10, 1985.
2. "Bradley wins unprecedented fourth term in Los Angeles". Santa Cruz Sentinel . April 10, 1985.
3. "Bradley will seek 4th term". The Desert Sun . January 10, 1985.
4. "Bradley seeks fourth term". The Desert Sun . March 8, 1985.
5. "Moderate vote seen in race for LA mayor". The Desert Sun . April 9, 1985.
6. "Polls show Bradley ahead in mayor race". The Press Democrat . March 13, 1985.
7. "Bradley is favored to win fourth term as voters go to the polls in Los Angeles". San Bernardino Sun . April 9, 1985.
8. "Political split in LA mayor's race". The Press Democrat . March 31, 1985.
9. "Los Angeles Mayor". Our Campaigns.

External links

• Office of the City Clerk, City of Los Angeles