1983 Philadelphia mayoral election
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| Turnout | 63.17% of registered voters  3 pp42.48% of total population[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results by ward Goode: 40–50% 50–60% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Egan: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Pennsylvania |
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 Government |
The 1983 Philadelphia mayoral election saw the election of Wilson Goode.
Goode won the Democratic nomination by defeating former mayor Frank Rizzo, as well as several minor candidates, in the Democratic primary.
Goode was elected the first African American mayor of Philadelphia.
Before the election, a total of eighteen black mayors had been elected in United States cities with populations above 100,000.[2]
At the time, there were incumbent black mayors in three of the other five United States cities with populations above 1 million people, Los Angeles (Tom Bradley), Chicago (Harold Washington), and Detroit (Coleman Young).[2][3]
No Republican, and only Democrats, had been elected mayor since after the 1947 Philadelphia mayoral election.[2]
At the time, blacks made up roughly 39% of registered voters in the city. White voters still outnumbered black voters 2 to 1.[4]
Registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans in the city by 4 to 1.[4]
Democratic primary
Goode positioned himself as a candidate that could unite the city.[2] This contrasted with many voters' perception that Rizzo had divided the city along racial and ethnic lines.[2]
Goode was fresh-faced, with this being his first campaign for elected office.[2] He was also perceived as an efficient public servant.[2]
In the primary, more than 30% of white voters cast their votes for Goode.[2]
Race never became a major topic of the campaign.[2]
The race saw a record total of votes cast for a Democratic primary.[2]
Ron Brown, the deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee, appeared at Goode's primary election night victory party at the Philadelphia Convention Center to promise the national party's support for the general election.[2] The victory party was also attended by black mayors from other United States cities, including Marion Barry of Washington, D.C.[2]
Candidates
Declared
- George G. Britt, Jr., management consultant and perennial candidate
- Anthony G. Bateman, attorney and former assistant district attorney
- Stephen S. Douglas, former aide to Lyndon LaRouche and candidate for governor in 1980
- Wilson Goode, Philadelphia managing director
- Frank Lomento, pretzel vendor and perennial candidate
- Frank Rizzo, former mayor
Withdrew
- Thomas A. Leonard III, Philadelphia Register of Wills (to run as an independent)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wilson Goode | 329,653 | 52.73% | |
| Democratic | Frank Rizzo | 270,236 | 43.22% | |
| Democratic | Frank Lomento | 18,947 | 3.03% | |
| Democratic | Stephen S. Douglas | 3,006 | 0.48% | |
| Democratic | Anthony Bateman | 2,920 | 0.47% | |
| Democratic | George Britt | 439 | 0.07% | |
| Turnout | 625,201 | |||
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Charles F. Dougherty, United States Representative for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district
- John Egan, chairman of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange
- Tom Gola, former City Controller and Basketball Hall of Famer
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Egan | 38,920 | 45.30% | |
| Republican | Charles F. Dougherty | 25,413 | 29.58% | |
| Republican | Tom Gola | 21,581 | 25.25% | |