San Francisco mayoral election, 2007

Infobox Election
election_name = San Francisco mayoral election, 2007
country = San Francisco
type = presidential
ongoing = no
previous_election = San Francisco mayoral election, 2003
previous_year = 2003
next_election = San Francisco mayoral election, 2011
next_year = 2011
election_date = November 6 2007


candidate1 = Gavin Newsom
party1 = Democratic Party (United States)
popular_vote1 = 105,596
percentage1 = 73.66%
title = Mayor
before_election = Gavin Newsom
before_party = Democratic Party (United States)
after_election = Gavin Newsom
after_party = Democratic Party (United States)

The San Francisco mayoral election of 2007 occurred on November 6, 2007. Voters elected a Mayor of San Francisco and several local officials. Incumbent Mayor Gavin Newsom was re-elected by a good margin. There were 12 candidates on the ballot as well as 6 write-ins.

Besides Newsom, other notable candidates included Josh Wolf, an amateur journalist who was jailed for not turning over tapes of a protest to the authorities. Another candidate, "Chicken" John Rinaldi, qualified for public financing of his campaign but ran into procedural difficulties with San Francisco's Election Commission.

It was the first mayoral election in San Francisco history to use instant-runoff voting, also known as ranked-choice voting, so that there would be no need for a run-off. Results of the election weren't known for weeks because every ballot had to be hand-counted due to the long feud between the Elections Department of San Francisco and the California Secretary of State. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/06/MNHUT7FPT.DTL&tsp=1 Counting S.F. ballots will take a record amount of time] , "The San Francisco Chronicle", November 7, 2007]

Issues

Many ongoing and emerging issues might have influenced this election.Fact|date=August 2008 They include:
*Newsom's popularity - Newsom's approval rating has remained high throughout his first term
*Same-sex marriage - Newsom's 2004 directive permitting the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples played a key role in garnering wide approval from the largely liberal city.
* Potholes, infrastructure, deferred maintenance, and the mayor's plans to improve Muni.
* Keeping the San Francisco 49ers football team within city limits, as the team has threatened to move to a more spacious suburban stadium in Santa Clara County. The move would create a situation similar to that of the New York Jets and New York Giants, who both play at the New Jersey Meadowlands.
* The city's high homicide rate might also hurt Newsom during the campaign. A national survey gives San Francisco low marks for public safety. [ [http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Oct30/0,4670,CityCrimeListGlance,00.html The Most, Least Dangerous U.S. Cities] , "Associated Press", October 30, 2006] Indeed, San Francisco ranked well below both Los Angeles and New York City.
* Homelessness and transportation issues from previous years remain relevant. Public perception of the mayor's "Care, Not Cash" program (which reduces welfare payments in favor of long-term subsidized housing) will likely inform the debate.
*On February 1, 2007, Newsom admitted to having an affair with his campaign manager's wife, who was working in City Hall. Newsom later apologized about the scandal. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/01/BAG0KNT1RL5.DTL Newsom apologizes at press conference] , "The San Francisco Chronicle", February 1, 2007]

Results

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

Election box winning candidate with party link no change
party = California Democratic Party
candidate = Gavin Newsom (incumbent)
votes = 105,596
percentage = 73.66Election box candidate with party link no change
party = California Democratic Party
candidate = Quintin Mecke
votes = 9,076
percentage = 6.33Election box candidate with party link no change
party = California Republican Party
candidate = Harold Hoogasian
votes = 8,400
percentage = 5.86Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Peace and Freedom Party
candidate = Wilma Pang
votes = 7,274
percentage = 5.07Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Ahimsa Sumchai
votes = 3,398
percentage = 2.37Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Green Party of California
candidate = Chicken John
votes = 2,508
percentage = 1.75Election box candidate with party link no change
party = United States Marijuana Party
candidate = Lonnie Holmes
votes = 1,807
percentage = 1.26Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Socialist Party USA
candidate = Josh Wolf
votes = 1,772
percentage = 1.24Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Workers World Party
candidate = Grasshopper Kaplan
votes = 1,423
percentage = 0.99Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Harold Brown
votes = 915
percentage = 0.64Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Libertarian Party of California
candidate = George Davis
votes = 644
percentage = 0.45Election box candidate with party link no change
party = American Independent Party
candidate = Michael Powers
votes = 519
percentage = 0.36Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Lea Sherman (write-in)
votes = 9
percentage = 0.01Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Rodney Hauge (write-in)
votes = 6
percentage = 0.00Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Patrick Monette-Shaw (write-in)
votes = 6
percentage = 0.00Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Kenneth Kahn (write-in)
votes = 3
percentage = 0.00Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Robert Kully (write-in)
votes = 2
percentage = 0.00Election box candidate with party link no change
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Robert McCullough (write-in)
votes = 1
percentage = 0.00Election box total no change
votes = 143,359
percentage = 100.00Election box hold with party link without swing
winner = California Democratic Party

References

External links

* [http://www.actlocallysf.org/index.php Act Locally SF; Official Campaign Website for Gavin Newsom]
* [http://www.sfusualsuspects.com/mayor2007.shtml Race for Mayor 2007]
* [http://www.examiner.com/blogs/sf_next_mayor San Francisco Examiner's "San Francisco's Next Mayor?" Page]
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/22/MN1FSFN93.DTL Cast of characters livens up the field]

Candidate Web sites

* [http://www.qformayor.com/ Quentin Mecke for Mayor]
* [http://www.ahimsa4mayor.com/ Ahimsa Porter Sumchai]
* [http://www.voteforchicken.com/ Vote for "Chicken" John Rimaldi]
* [http://www.joshwolf.net/JoshWolf4Mayor/ Josh Wolf 4 Mayor]