2003 Philadelphia mayoral election

2003 Philadelphia mayoral election

←  1999 November 4, 2003 2007  →
Turnout	50% [1] 5 pp
Nominee John F. Street Sam Katz Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 267,230 189,357 Percentage 58.34% 41.34%
Results by ward Street:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Katz:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%
Mayor before election John F. Street Democratic Elected mayor John F. Street Democratic

The 2003 Philadelphia mayoral election was a contest between Democratic incumbent John F. Street and Republican businessman Sam Katz.

Pennsylvania governor and former mayor of Philadelphia Ed Rendell played a key role for Street by ensuring that business interests did not support Katz. ^[2]

The race was covered in the documentary film The Shame of a City . This was the last election prior to the 2019 election that saw a Republican nominee carry a ward, with Katz carrying several.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• John F. Street, incumbent Mayor

Results

Philadelphia Democratic mayoral primary, 2003

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John F. Street	93,799	99.59%
	Write-in	All others	387	0.41%
Turnout			94,186	100.00

Mayor John Street was unopposed for renomination by the Democratic Party.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Sam Katz, candidate for mayor in 1991 and 1999

Results

Philadelphia Republican mayoral primary, 2003

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sam Katz	18,973	99.93%
	Write-in	All others	14	0.07%
Turnout			18,987	100.00

Sam Katz was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	John Street (D)	Sam Katz (R)	Other / Undecided
SurveyUSA [3]	October 30 – November 2, 2003	621 (CV)	± 4.0%	59%	37%	4%

Results

Philadelphia mayoral election, 2003

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John F. Street	267,230	58.34	8.70
	Republican	Sam Katz	189,357	41.34	8.28
	Socialist Workers	John Staggs	1,291	0.28	0.28
Majority
Turnout			457,878
	Democratic hold		Swing

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   CV – certain voters
   V – unclear

References

1. Denvir, Daniel (May 22, 2015). "Voter Turnout in U.S. Mayoral Elections Is Pathetic, But It Wasn't Always This Way". City Lab. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
2. "The PA Report "Power 75" List" (PDF). Pennsylvania Report. Capital Growth, Inc. January 31, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2006. "Governor Rendell's squeezing business not to support Republican nominee, Sam Katz, will help"
3. SurveyUSA

Preceded by 1999

Philadelphia mayoral election 2003

Succeeded by 2007

External links

• Election results from the Committee of Seventy