1974 Washington, D.C., mayoral election explained

Country:District of Columbia
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Next Election:1978 Washington, D.C., mayoral election
Next Year:1978
Election Date:November 5, 1974
Image1:File:Walterwashington (1).jpg
Nominee1:Walter Washington
Party1:District of Columbia Democratic State Committee
Popular Vote1:84,676
Percentage1:80.5%
Nominee2:Sam Harris
Party2:Independent politician
Popular Vote2:7,514
Percentage2:7.1%
Mayor
Before Election:Walter Washington
(as Mayor-Commissioner)
Before Party:District of Columbia Democratic State Committee
After Election:Walter Washington
After Party:District of Columbia Democratic State Committee
Map Size:235px

Washington, D.C., held its first direct election for its mayor on November 5, 1974. It followed the passage of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act by the U.S. Congress in 1973. The election was won by Walter Washington, a Democrat.

As with every mayoral election that followed, the 1974 race was at its most intense in the Democratic Primary, with 90 percent of DC's voters registered as Democrats.[1] The primary contest was a seven-person race, but the highest profile candidates were Walter Washington, then incumbent as the presidentially appointed Mayor-Commissioner, and Clifford Alexander Jr., former chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Washington was by far the favorite at the start of the campaign in May 1974, but tightened as the September primary drew closer. Washington won the September 10 primary, 53%-47%.[2]

Source:

Notes and References

  1. Harry S. Jaffe and Tom Sherwood. Dream City: Race, Power, and the Decline of Washington D.C. Simon & Schuster, 1994, p.62
  2. News: Jay . Matthews . City's 1st Mayoral Race, as Innocent as Young Love . October 11, 1999 . Washington Post . A1 .