1997 Los Angeles mayoral election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1997 Los Angeles mayoral election took place on April 8, 1997. Incumbent Richard Riordan won re-election against California State Senator and activist Tom Hayden.[1] As of to date, this is the most recent time a Republican was elected mayor of Los Angeles.[2] Municipal elections in California, including mayor of Los Angeles, are officially nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.[3]
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April 8, 1997
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| Turnout | 31.71% | ||||||||||||
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Candidates
- Tom Hayden, state senator
- Craig A. Honts
- Candido J. Marez
- Richard Riordan, incumbent mayor since 1993
- Leonard Shapiro, candidate for governor in 1993
Campaign
Hayden criticized Riordan for ignoring the environment and for not debating with him while Riordan criticized Hayden for his voting record as a state senator.[4][5] Polls showed Riordan leading Hayden, with most of his support being from white people and Republicans.[6] The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor pulled their support from Riordan and took a neutral stance for the two.[7] In the election, Riordan won outright against Hayden and three other candidates.[8]
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Riordan (incumbent) | 250,771 | 61.49 | |
| Tom Hayden | 140,648 | 34.49 | |
| Candido J. Marez | 5,852 | 1.43 | |
| Leonard Shapiro | 5,454 | 1.33 | |
| Craig A. Honts | 5,065 | 1.24 | |
| Total votes | 407,790 | 100.00 | |