1983 Philadelphia mayoral election

none January 2025 September 2023 1983 Philadelphia mayoral election Philadelphia presidential no 1979 1987 November 8, 1983 63.17% (registered voters) 3 pp42.48% (total population)Voter Turnout in U.S. Mayoral Elections Is Pathetic, But It Wasn't Always This Way Denvir Daniel https://www.citylab.com/equity/2015/05/mayoral-election-voting-turnout/393737/#disqus_thread City Lab 28 April 2019 22 May 2015 File:Wilson Goode (1).jpg Wilson Goode Democratic Party (United States) 396,266 55.26% File:3x4.svg John Egan Republican Party (United States) 263,742 36.78% File:3x4.svg Thomas Leonard Independent (United States) 57,146 7.97% File:1983 Philadelphia mayoral election results by ward.svg 260px Results by wardGoode: #A5B0FF 40–50% #7996E2 50–60% #584CDE 70–80% #3933E5 80–90% #0D0596 >90%Egan: #E27F7F 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% Mayor William J. Green III Democratic Party (United States) Wilson Goode Democratic Party (United States) 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. Background Before the election, a total of eighteen black mayors had been elected in United States cities with populations above 100,000. 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).Population of the 20 Largest U.S. Cities, 1900–2012 https://www.infoplease.com/us/us-cities/population-20-largest-us-cities-1900-2012 www.infoplease.com 1 June 2020 en No Republican, and only Democrats, had been elected mayor since after the 1947 Philadelphia mayoral election. At the time, blacks made up roughly 39% of registered voters in the city. White voters still outnumbered black voters 2 to 1.Robbins William Election of Black Mayor in Philadelphia Reflects a Decade of Change in City https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/10/us/election-of-black-mayor-in-philadelphia-reflects-a-decade-of-change-in-city.html The New York Times 14 June 2020 10 November 1983 Registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans in the city by 4 to 1. Democratic primary Goode positioned himself as a candidate that could unite the city.Overbea Luix Goode tops Rizzo in Philadelphia primary, sets out to unite Democrats https://www.csmonitor.com/1983/0519/051945.html Christian Science Monitor 1 June 2020 19 May 1983 This contrasted with many voters' perception that Rizzo had divided the city along racial and ethnic lines. Goode was fresh-faced, with this being his first campaign for elected office. He was also perceived as an efficient public servant. In the primary, more than 30% of white voters cast their votes for Goode. Race never became a major topic of the campaign. The race saw a record total of votes cast for a Democratic primary. 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. The victory party was also attended by black mayors from other United States cities, including Marion Barry of Washington, D.C. 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 Philadelphia mayoral Democratic primary, 1983 Democratic Party (United States) Wilson Goode 329,653 52.73 Democratic Party (United States) Frank Rizzo 270,236 43.22 Democratic Party (United States) Frank Lomento 18,947 3.03 Democratic Party (United States) Stephen S. Douglas 3,006 0.48 Democratic Party (United States) Anthony Bateman 2,920 0.47 Democratic Party (United States) George Britt 439 0.07 625,201 100.00 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 Philadelphia mayoral Republican primary, 1983 Republican Party (United States) John Egan 38,920 45.30 Republican Party (United States) Charles F. Dougherty 25,413 29.58 Republican Party (United States) Tom Gola 21,581 25.25 85,914 100.00 Independents and third parties Independent Thomas A. Leonard III, Philadelphia Register of Wills General election Goode was able to project a managerial image for himself, and was able to make an image that was "nonthreatening" to white voters. Results Exit polling indicated that Goode received 98% of the support in black neighborhoods. An examination of sample voting districts indicated that Goode received between 27 and 28% of the vote in white neighborhoods. It was argued that a white candidate with the same credentials as Goode would likely have received 55% of the vote in the white neighborhoods. 1983 Philadelphia mayoral electionMayors of the City of Philadelphia 1691-2000 https://www.phila.gov/PHILS/Mayorlst.htm City of Philadelphia August 22, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20210612104901/https://www.phila.gov/PHILS/Mayorlst.htm June 12, 2021 dead Democratic Party (United States) Wilson Goode 396,266 55.26 Republican Party (United States) John Egan 263,742 36.78 Independent (politician) Thomas Leonard 57,146 7.97 717,154 100.00 References 2 1983 Category:1983 United States mayoral elections Category:1983 Pennsylvania elections Category:1980s in Philadelphia