1987 California's 5th congressional district special election

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1987 California's 5th congressional district special election
Flag of California.svg
←  1986 April 7, 1987 (primary)
June 2, 1987 (runoff)		 1988  →
California's 5th congressional district
  Nancy Pelosi, official 101st Congress photo.png No image.svg
Candidate Nancy Pelosi Harriet Ross
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote46,42822,478
Percentage63.36%30.68%
U.S. Representative before election

Sala Burton
Democratic

Elected U.S. Representative

Nancy Pelosi
Democratic

A special primary election to determine the member of the United States House of Representatives for California's 5th congressional district was held on April 7, 1987, with a special general election held two months later on June 2.

Contents

Incumbent Representative Sala Burton, who herself was elected during a special election following the death of her husband Phillip Burton, the previous incumbent, died on February 1, 1987, from colon cancer. [1] Her death triggered a special election, leading to multiple people running to finish her term. No candidate received 50% in the primary, leading to a special general election won by former California Democratic Party chair Nancy Pelosi. [2]

Candidates

Fourteen candidates ran in the special primary.

Democratic Party

Republican Party

Libertarian Party

Peace and Freedom Party

Independents

Special primary

Primary results by neighborhood. .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Pelosi Pelosi--40-50% Pelosi--30-40% Britt Britt--60-70% Britt--50-60% Britt--40-50% Britt--30-40% 1987 SF Special Election Primary.svg
Primary results by neighborhood.
  Pelosi
  •   Pelosi—40-50%
  •   Pelosi—30-40%
  Britt
  •   Britt—60–70%
  •   Britt—50-60%
  •   Britt—40–50%
  •   Britt—30-40%

The nonpartisan blanket primary was held on April 7, 1987. A candidate winning 50% of the vote would automatically fill the vacant seat. If no candidate won 50%, a special general election (essentially a runoff) would be triggered with the top candidates in each party advancing to it.

1987 California's 5th congressional district special election [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Nancy Pelosi 38,927 36.12
Democratic Harry Britt 35,00832.48
Democratic William Maher15,35514.25
Democratic Doris M. Ward6,4986.03
Republican Harriet Ross 3,016 2.8
Democratic Carol Ruth Silver 2,8962.69
Republican Kevin W. Wadsworth1,7551.63
Republican Tom Spinosa1,7121.59
Republican Mike Garza1,2621.17
Independent Karen Edwards 447 0.42
Libertarian Sam Grove 408 0.38
Peace and Freedom Theodore Zurr 187 0.17
Independent Catherine Renee Sedwick 164 0.15
Democratic Brian Lantz1410.13
Total votes107,776 100.0

Special general election

The special general election took place on June 2, 1987, with Nancy Pelosi gaining a majority of the vote and winning Sala Burton's seat. [2]

1987 California's 5th congressional district special general election [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Nancy Pelosi 46,428 63.36
Republican Harriet Ross22,47830.68
Independent Karen Edwards1,6022.19
Peace and Freedom Theodore Zurr1,1051.51
Libertarian Sam Grove1,0071.37
Independent Catherine Renee Sedwick6590.9
Total votes73,279 100.0
Democratic hold


References

  1. ↑ Morain, Dan (February 7, 1987). "Rep. Sala Burton, Who Replaced Husband in Congress, Dies at 61". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Democrat Elected in San Francisco". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 3, 1987. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  3. ↑ "It began in Baltimore: The life and times of Nancy Pelosi". San Francisco Chronicle. January 2, 2007. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  4. ↑ Faderman, Lillian (2015). The Gay Revolution. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 371–72. ISBN   978-1-4516-9411-6.
  5. ↑ "Gay is expected to make strong run for House seat". San Jose Mercury News. February 10, 1987. pp. 1C.
  6. 1 2 3 "Board of Supervisors: Past Supervisors". City and County of San Francisco. Archived from the original on November 14, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  7. ↑ Miller, Johnny (January 20, 2010) "Top cop shoots down supe on guns." San Francisco Chronicle . (Retrieved June 3, 2015).
  8. ↑ "Tom Spinosa Obituary (2008)". Legacy.com. San Francisco Chronicle. October 31, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Our Campaigns - CA District 5 - Special Election Race - Apr 07, 1987". OurCampaign. July 12, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Our Campaigns - CA District 5 - Special Runoff Race - Jun 02, 1987". OurCampaigns. April 18, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
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