1987 California's 5th congressional district special election
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A special election to determine the member of the United States House of Representatives for California's 5th congressional district was held on April 7, 1987, with a runoff held two months later on June 2.
Incumbent Representative Sala Burton, who herself was elected during a special election following the previous incumbent's death, died on February 1, 1987, from colon cancer.[1] Her death triggered a special election, leading to multiple people running to finish her term. No candidate received a 50% election in the general, leading to a run-off which former California Democratic Party chair Nancy Pelosi won.[2]
Candidates
Fourteen candidates ran for the special election.
Democratic Party
- Nancy Pelosi, former chairwoman of the California Democratic Party and daughter of former Baltimore mayor, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr.[3]
- Harry Britt, LGBT rights advocate[4] and former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[5][6]
- William Maher, San Francisco Board of Supervisors member[6]
- Doris M. Ward, San Francisco Board of Supervisors member[6]
- Carol Ruth Silver, gun rights advocate and San Francisco Board of Supervisors member[7]
- Brian Lantz
Republican Party
- Harriet Ross
- Kevin W. Wadsworth
- Tom Spinosa, World War II and Vietnam War veteran and San Francisco County Republican Party official[8]
- Mike Garza
Libertarian Party
- Sam Grove
Peace and Freedom Party
- Theodore Zurr
Independents
- Karen Edwards
- Catherine Renee Sedwick
Special primaries
The special election primaries were held on April 7, 1987. Every candidate ran in a nonpartisan blanket primary. If a candidate won 50% of the vote, they would automatically fill in the vacant seat. If no candidate won 50% of the vote, a runoff would be triggered with the top candidates in each party advancing to the runoff.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nancy Pelosi | 38,927 | 36.12 | |
| Democratic | Harry Britt | 35,008 | 32.48 | |
| Democratic | William Maher | 15,355 | 14.25 | |
| Democratic | Doris M. Ward | 6,498 | 6.03 | |
| Republican | Harriet Ross | 3,016 | 2.8 | |
| Democratic | Carol Ruth Silver | 2,896 | 2.69 | |
| Republican | Kevin W. Wadsworth | 1,755 | 1.63 | |
| Republican | Tom Spinosa | 1,712 | 1.59 | |
| Republican | Mike Garza | 1,262 | 1.17 | |
| Independent | Karen Edwards | 447 | 0.42 | |
| Libertarian | Sam Grove | 408 | 0.38 | |
| Peace and Freedom | Theodore Zurr | 187 | 0.17 | |
| Independent | Catherine Renee Sedwick | 164 | 0.15 | |
| Democratic | Brian Lantz | 141 | 0.13 | |
| Total votes | 107,776 | 100.0 | ||
Runoff election
The runoff election took place on June 2, 1987, with Nancy Pelosi gaining the majority of the vote, winning her the special election for Burton's seat.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nancy Pelosi | 46,428 | 63.36 | ||
| Republican | Harriet Ross | 22,478 | 30.68 | ||
| Independent | Karen Edwards | 1,602 | 2.19 | ||
| Peace and Freedom | Theodore Zurr | 1,105 | 1.51 | ||
| Libertarian | Sam Grove | 1,007 | 1.37 | ||
| Independent | Catherine Renee Sedwick | 659 | 0.9 | ||
| Total votes | 73,279 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
References
- ^ Morain, Dan (February 7, 1987). "Rep. Sala Burton, Who Replaced Husband in Congress, Dies at 61". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Democrat Elected in San Francisco". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 3, 1987. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
- ^ "It began in Baltimore: The life and times of Nancy Pelosi". San Francisco Chronicle. January 2, 2007. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- ^ Faderman, Lillian (2015). The Gay Revolution. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 371–72. ISBN 978-1-4516-9411-6.
- ^ "Gay is expected to make strong run for House seat". San Jose Mercury News. February 10, 1987. pp. 1C.
- ^ a b c "Board of Supervisors: Past Supervisors". City and County of San Francisco. Archived from the original on November 14, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
- ^ Miller, Johnny (January 20, 2010) "Top cop shoots down supe on guns." San Francisco Chronicle. (Retrieved June 3, 2015).
- ^ "Tom Spinosa Obituary (2008)". Legacy.com. San Francisco Chronicle. October 31, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - CA District 5 - Special Election Race - Apr 07, 1987". OurCampaign. July 12, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - CA District 5 - Special Runoff Race - Jun 02, 1987". OurCampaigns. April 18, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2021.