1998 Oakland mayoral election explained

Election Name:Oakland mayoral election, 1998
Type:Presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1994 Oakland mayoral election
Previous Year:1994
Next Election:2002 Oakland mayoral election
Next Year:2002
Election Date:June 2, 1998
Candidate1:Jerry Brown
Party1:Independent (United States)
Popular Vote1:48,129
Percentage1:58.9%
Party2:Nonpartisan candidate
Popular Vote2:12,226
Percentage2:14.9%
Candidate3:Shannon Reeves
Party3:Nonpartisan candidate
Popular Vote3:5,679
Percentage3:6.9%
Party4:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote4:5,509
Percentage4:6.7%
Candidate5:Mary King
Party5:Nonpartisan candidate
Popular Vote5:4,618
Percentage5:5.6%
Mayor
Before Election:Elihu Harris
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Jerry Brown
After Party:Independent politician

The 1998 Oakland mayoral election was held on June 2, 1998, to elect the mayor of Oakland, California. It saw the election of Jerry Brown, the former and future Governor of California, as mayor.

Brown won an outright majority in the first round of the election, forgoing the need for a runoff.[1]

Candidates

Campaign

Incumbent mayor Elihu Harris opted against running for a third term.[10]

Brown entered what was already a crowded mayoral field in late October 1997, instantly becoming the race's frontrunner.[10] A poll published in The Montclarion right before he formally entered the race had showed Brown garnering 47% in a hypothetical race.[10]

Brown identified himself to be an independent, having declared himself to have left the Democratic Party.[11]

Brown ran under the campaign slogan "Oaklanders First". He campaign actively, holding many events.

Brown was endorsed by, among others, former Berkeley, California mayor Gus Newport.[8]

Brown was the only white candidate running in the race. Oakland was and still is a majority minority city.[12] Brown won a majority of the black vote.[8]

Brown was heavily anticipated to win the election.

While Oakland had a weak mayor form of government, Brown was also campaigning to change this. He supported Measure X, a measure on the ballot in November 1998 which would change the city's model of government to a strong mayor for a period of 6 years. Ultimately, in November, Oakland's electorate voted by a landslide margin of 3 to 1 in support of Measure X, switching the city to a strong mayor system of governance prior to Brown taking office.[13] [14] Years later, in 2004, a referendum permanently extending Measure X later was passed, after failing to pass in 2002, making permanent the city's shift to the strong mayor model of governance.[14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bruni . Frank . PRIMARIES '98: THE MAYOR-ELECT; Jerry Brown Wins, but, Hey, No Big Deal . New York Times . 6 December 2019 . 4 June 1998.
  2. Web site: Johnson . Chip . Leo Bazile misused son's settlement / Sad end to career of a firebrand / State Bar forces Bazile to leave law . SFGate . 8 December 2019 . 28 April 2001.
  3. Web site: Mayor; City of Oakland Voter Information. Smart Voter . 8 December 2019.
  4. Web site: Ces Butner President, Port of Oakland . www.bloomberg.com . 8 December 2019.
  5. Web site: Mobley . Esther . Who is Ces Butner? Speakeasy's new owner has ties to Anheuser-Busch . SFGate . 8 December 2019 . 10 May 2017.
  6. Web site: Johnson . Chip . Oakland urban planner who sought leadership will head New Orleans recovery team . SFGate . 8 December 2019 . 5 December 2006.
  7. Web site: DelVecchio . Rick . Blacks and Brown / That Jerry Brown ran for mayor of Oakland this year was a surprise to many. That Oakland was ready to give him the job is a bigger story. . SFGate . 8 December 2019 . 16 August 1998.
  8. Web site: Jerry Brown's No-Nonsense New Age for Oakland . City Journal . 8 December 2019 . en . 1999.
  9. Web site: Hector Reyna never won, but he was no loser . East Bay Times . 8 December 2019 . 31 October 2008.
  10. Web site: Barabak . Mark Z. . La Ganga . Maria L. . Jerry Brown Enters Race for Oakland Mayor . Los Angeles Times . 5 December 2019 . 29 October 1997.
  11. Web site: West . Paul . Jerry Brown as Oakland's mayor? Champion: The idealistic former governor and presidential hopeful has found a city where he can make a difference -- small enough to get things done, big enough to be a national model. . Baltimore Sun . 5 December 2019 . 28 May 1998.
  12. Web site: Jerry Brown's years as Oakland mayor set stage for political comeback. San Jose Mercury News . August 29, 2010 . October 13, 2010.
  13. Web site: DelVecchio . Rick . Holtz . Debra Levi . Measure X Victory for Jerry Brown / Strong-mayor initiative OKd by Oakland voters . SFGate . 12 December 2019 . 4 November 1998.
  14. Book: Svara . James H. . Watson . Douglas J. . More than Mayor or Manager: Campaigns to Change Form of Government in America's Large Cities . 2010 . Georgetown University Press . 978-1-58901-620-0 . 121–138 . 12 December 2019 . en.

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