1994 Washington, D.C., mayoral election

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1994 Washington, D.C., mayoral election
Flag of Washington, D.C.svg
  1990 November 8, 1994 1998  
  Marion Barry, 1996 in Washington, D.C (1).jpg 06.CapitalPrideParade.WDC.7June1998 (24674315520) (cropped).jpg
Nominee Marion Barry Carol Schwartz
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote102,88476,902
Percentage56.0%41.9%

DC 1994 Mayorial Election By Ward.svg
Results by ward

Mayor before election

Sharon Pratt Kelly
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Marion Barry
Democratic

On November 8, 1994, Washington, D.C., held an election for its mayor. It featured the return of Marion Barry, who served as mayor from 1979 until 1991.

Contents

Barry served six months in prison on a cocaine conviction. After his release from prison, Barry ran successfully for the Ward 8 city council seat in 1992, running under the slogan "He May Not Be Perfect, But He's Perfect for D.C." Upon this victory, Barry said he was "not interested in being mayor" again. [1]

This was by far the smallest Democratic victory margin in a regularly scheduled partisan citywide election since the city was granted home rule.

Campaign

Democratic primary

Sharon Pratt Kelly succeeded Barry as mayor. In the second year of her term, Barry loyalists mounted a recall campaign, which, although unsuccessful, weakened her administration.

Councillor John Ray received the endorsement of The Washington Post and was favored to win the primary. [2] However, Barry ran a grassroots campaign, touting his record balancing the budget in 10 of his 12 years as mayor. [2]

General election

A major issue in the campaign was how to cut $140 million from the city budget, as mandated by Congress. Though Barry was seen by some as responsible for the bureaucracy [3] and Schwartz criticized Barry's proposals as old and ineffective, [4] Barry tied his personal redemption to the redemption of the city.

Results

Democratic primary

1994 Washington, D.C. mayoral election, Democratic primary results
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Marion Barry 66,77747.18
Democratic John Ray 52,08836.80
Democratic Sharon Pratt Kelly (incumbent) 18,71713.22
Democratic Otis Holloman Troupe1,8971.34
Democratic Write-in 8290.59
Democratic Don Reeves5980.42
Democratic Osie Thorpe4560.32
Majority
Turnout

Republican primary

1994 Washington, D.C. mayoral election, Republican primary results
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Carol Schwartz 3,76474.85
Republican Brian P. Moore 64112.75
Republican Write-in 62412.41
Majority
Turnout

General election

1994 Washington, D.C. mayoral election results [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Marion Barry 102,884 56.02 -30.1
Republican Carol Schwartz 76,90241.87+30.4
Independent Write-in 9820.54
Independent Curtis Pree8520.46
DC Statehood Jodean M. Marks6950.38-0.31
Independent Jesse Battle Jr.4880.27
Independent Faith Dane 4230.23+0.16
Socialist Workers Aaron Ruby4230.23+0.12
Majority25,98214.15-60.5
Turnout 183,64950.75

See also

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References

  1. "Former Mayor's Victory Worries Many in Capital". The New York Times. September 17, 1992. Retrieved July 30, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Marion Barry makes comeback, wins D.C. Democratic mayoral primary". Jet. 1994.
  3. "Marion Barry May Be More Than Just An Embarrassment". Businessweek.com . October 3, 1994. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011.
  4. Janofsky, Michael (November 9, 1994). "THE 1994 ELECTIONS: THE NATION THE CAPITAL; Barry Rebounds From Disgrace to Win Again in Washington". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  5. "November 8 General Election". District of Columbia Board of Elections. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.