San Francisco mayoral election, 2003

San Francisco mayoral election, 2003

November 4 and December 9, 2003

Candidate Gavin Newsom Matt Gonzalez Party Democratic Green Popular vote 87,196 (Nov. 4) 133,546 (Dec. 9) 40,714 (Nov. 4) 119,329 (Dec. 9) Percentage 41.92% (Nov. 4) 52.81% (Dec. 9) 19.57% (Nov. 4) 47.19% (Dec. 9)

Electoral results by supervisorial district

Mayor before election Willie Brown Democratic Elected Mayor Gavin Newsom Democratic

The 2003 San Francisco mayoral election occurred on November 4, 2003. The incumbent, Willie Brown, was termed out of office and could not seek a third term. The general election included three top candidates including then Supervisor Gavin Newsom and then President of the Board of Supervisors, Matt Gonzalez and former Supervisor Angela Alioto. No candidate received the required majority so the race went into a run-off of the two top candidates, which were Gavin Newsom and Matt Gonzalez. The run-off occurred on December 9, 2003 where Gavin Newsom was elected mayor of San Francisco.

Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, though most candidates in San Francisco do receive funding and support from various political parties.

In 2003, then-Supervisor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, ran in a large field of challengers, including Board of Supervisors President Matt Gonzalez, Supervisor Tom Ammiano, former Supervisor Angela Alioto, city Treasurer Susan Leal, and former Police Chief Tony Ribera. Newsom and Gonzalez took first and second place, respectively, but neither won a majority, so the two advanced to a runoff election. The election gained international attention,^[1] and third party advocates saw it as a chance to dethrone the Democratic Party.^[2]

Newsom ran as a moderate against leftist/progressive Gonzalez, a member of the Green Party. It was the first mayoral election in San Francisco that a Green Party candidate took a noticeable amount of the vote. Had he won, Gonzalez would have been the most prominent elected Green Party member in the United States. The election was close, with Gonzalez leading in the polls and winning the popular vote among ballots cast on election day, while Newsom had a larger lead on absentee ballots.

Results

San Francisco mayoral election, 2003[3][4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gavin Newsom	87,196	41.92
	Green	Matt Gonzalez	40,714	19.57
	Democratic	Angela Alioto	33,446	16.08
	Democratic	Tom Ammiano	21,452	10.31
	Democratic	Susan Leal	17,641	8.48
	Republican	Tony Ribera	5,015	2.41
	Libertarian	Michael F. Denny	925	0.44
	Independent	Roger E. Schulke	735	0.36
	Independent	Jim Reid	733	0.35
	Write-in		131	0.06%
Total votes			208,028	100.00
Runoff election
	Democratic	Gavin Newsom	133,546	52.81
	Green	Matt Gonzalez	119,329	47.19
Total votes			252,875	100.00

References

1. "Democrat wins key US mayoral race". BBC News. December 10, 2003.
2. http://www.counterpunch.org/anderson12062003.html
3. "City and County of San Francisco Consolidated Municipal Election Results - November 4, 2003". City and County of San Francisco Department of Elections. November 14, 2003. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
4. "City and County of San Francisco Municipal Run-Off Election Results - December 9, 2003". City and County of San Francisco Department of Elections. December 15, 2003. Retrieved February 16, 2009.