1992 San Diego mayoral election

The 1992 San Diego mayoral election was held on November 3, 1992 to elect the mayor for San Diego. Incumbent mayor Maureen O'Connor chose not to run for reelection.

1992 San Diego mayoral election

November 3, 1992 (1992-11-03)

Nominee Susan Golding Peter Navarro Party Republican Independent Popular vote 222,603 205,448 Percentage 52.0% 48.0%

Mayor before election Maureen O'Connor Democratic Elected Mayor Susan Golding Republican

Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, though some candidates do receive funding and support from various political parties.[1] The non-partisan primary was held June 2, 1992. Peter Navarro and Susan Golding received the most votes and advanced to the November general election. Golding was elected mayor with a majority of the votes in the November election.

Candidates

• Susan Golding, San Diego County Supervisor[2] (Party preference: Republican)
• Peter Navarro, business professor[2] (Party preference: Independent)
• Ron Roberts, San Diego City Councilmember[2] (Party preference: Republican)
• Tom Carter, businessman [2] (Party preference: Democratic)
• Loch David Crane, magician, college instructor, and perennial candidate[2]
• Bill Thomas, accountant[3] (Party preference: Republican)

Campaign

Incumbent mayor Maureen O'Connor announced in her 1990 State of the City address that she would not run for reelection, but would focus instead on political reforms including giving future mayors more power.[4] She declined to endorse any of the candidates vying to replace her.[5] Among the primary candidates, County Supervisor Susan Golding and City Councilmember Ron Roberts ran on their experience in local government. Economist Peter Navarro and businessman Tom Carter ran as political outsiders. Navarro also emphasized his advocacy for slow-growth policies as chairman of the grassroots organization Prevent Los Angelization Now! (PLAN).[6] Navarro considered himself a conservative Republican, but had changed his affiliation to independent prior to the primary election.[7]

In the primary election held June 2, 1992, Navarro placed first with 38.2 percent of the vote followed by Golding with 31.1 percent. Trailing far behind were Roberts with 16.4 percent, Carter with 9.8 percent and scattered votes for other minor candidates. As the top two vote-getters, Navarro and Golding advanced to the November ballot. Golding was then elected mayor with 52 percent of the votes on November 3, 1992.[3]

Primary election results

San Diego mayoral primary election, 1992[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Peter Navarro	91,836	38.2
	Republican	Susan Golding	74,863	31.1
	Republican	Ron Roberts	39,321	16.4
	Democratic	Tom Carter	23,525	9.8
	Nonpartisan	Loch David Crane	6,711	2.8
	Republican	Bill Thomas	4,149	1.8
Total votes			240,405	100

General election results

San Diego mayoral general election, 1992[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Susan Golding	222,603	52.0
	Independent	Peter Navarro	205,448	48.0
	Nonpartisan	Jim Turner (write-in)	382	–
	Nonpartisan	Robert Reed (write-in)	28	–
Total votes			428,051	100

References

1. "How to Run for Office". The City of San Diego-Office of the City Clerk. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
2. Braun, Gerry (February 12, 1992). "Golding atop pack for mayor - But Hedgecock could overtake front-runner". San Diego Union-Tribune. pp. A-1.
3. "Election History - Mayor of San Diego" (PDF). City of San Diego. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
4. Smolens, Michael (July 10, 1991). "Mayor now mum on earlier won't-run vow". San Diego Union. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
5. Huard, Ray (May 28, 1992). "O'Connor not planning to back anyone in mayoral primary". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
6. McKinnie, Ruth L. (May 31, 1992). "Navarro narrows Golding lead -- a near tie - Mayoral momentum is with economist". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
7. Larson, Thomas (October 28, 2004). "Elections San Diego Style". San Diego Reader. Retrieved March 18, 2017.