1996 Dade County mayoral election
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The 1996 Dade County mayoral election took place on October 1, 1996, following a primary election on September 3, 1996. The election was the first one to take place following an October 1992 referendum that established the office following the 1992 abolition of the previous mayoral position, which was largely ceremonial.[1] Eleven candidates ran in the formally nonpartisan election, and the leading candidates were County Commissioners Alex Penelas, Arthur Teele, and Maurice Ferré, as well as former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez. Penelas placed first in the primary with 37 percent of the vote, and advanced to a runoff election against Teele, who placed second with 25 percent. In the runoff election, Penelas defeated Teele in a landslide, winning 61 percent of the vote to Teele's 39 percent.
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September 3, 1996
October 1, 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Primary election
Candidates
- Alex Penelas, County Commissioner[2]
- Arthur Teele, Chairman of the County Commission[3]
- Maurice Ferré, County Commissioner, former Mayor of Miami[4]
- Xavier Suarez, former Mayor of Miami[5]
- William Perry, former director of the Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority[6]
- Charles F. Knapp, Jr., pharmacist[7]
- Clennon King, self-proclaimed rabbi, Dean of the Arenia Mallory School of Religion[7]
- Rachele Fruit, Socialist Workers Party activist[7]
- Juan Michael Alfonso, accountant, 1993 candidate for Mayor of Hialeah[7]
- Manny Gonzalez-Goenaga, investor[7]
- Dori De Falco, investor[7]
Campaign
Some political analysts speculated that Perry had likely ran at Penelas's behest, doing so in hope that he might draw some support of black voters away from Teele. Both Perry and Teele were black.[8]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Alex Penelas | 97,968 | 36.78% | |
| Nonpartisan | Arthur Teele | 67,240 | 25.25% | |
| Nonpartisan | Maurice Ferré | 55,239 | 20.74% | |
| Nonpartisan | Xavier Suarez | 36,725 | 13.79% | |
| Nonpartisan | William Perry | 4,243 | 1.59% | |
| Nonpartisan | Charles F. Knapp, Jr. | 1,662 | 0.62% | |
| Nonpartisan | Clennon King | 913 | 0.34% | |
| Nonpartisan | Rachele Fruit | 741 | 0.28% | |
| Nonpartisan | Juan Miguel Alfonso | 636 | 0.24% | |
| Nonpartisan | Manny Gonzalez-Goenaga | 535 | 0.20% | |
| Nonpartisan | Dori De Falco | 429 | 0.16% | |
| Total votes | 266,331 | 100.00% | ||
Runoff election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Alex Penelas | 197,797 | 60.56% | |
| Nonpartisan | Arthur Teele | 128,818 | 39.44% | |
| Total votes | 326,615 | 100.00% | ||
See also
- 1996 Miami mayoral special election –city of Miami mayoral election held the same year