1971 Chicago mayoral election
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1971, Richard J. Daley was elected to a fifth term as mayor, defeating Republican Richard Friedman by a landslide 40% margin.
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| Turnout | 68.9%[1]  4.1 pp | ||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Illinois |
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 Ballot measures and referendums |
In winning his fifth mayoral election, Daley tied the record set by both Carter Harrison Sr. and Carter Harrison Jr. for the most Chicago mayoral election victories. He also became the first individual elected to five consecutive terms as Mayor of Chicago.
Daley faced weak opposition in the election, with no serious challengers arising.[2]
This was the final Chicago mayoral election to be held before the ratification of the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. Thus, it was the final Chicago mayoral election in which the voting age was 21.
Nominations
Democratic primary
In December 1970, Daley put an end to speculation as to whether he'd seek reelection by announcing that he would seek a fifth term.[3]
Daley won the Democratic primary.
General election
Politically Friedman was to the left of Daley, being more liberal.[5] Friedman had sought to run an anti-machine campaign attracting reform Democrats, Republicans, and black voters. He ultimately failed to do this.[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard J. Daley (incumbent) | 740,137 | 70.08 | |
| Republican | Richard Friedman | 315,969 | 29.92 | |
| Turnout | 1,056,106 | |||
References
- Denvir, Daniel (May 22, 2015). "Voter Turnout in U.S. Mayoral Elections Is Pathetic, But It Wasn't Always This Way". City Lab (The Atlantic). Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- Biles, Roger. Richard J. Daley: Politics, Race, and the Government of Chicago. Northern Illinois University Press (1995). p.183
- Cohen, Adam; Taylor, Elizabeth (2001). American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley - His Battle for Chicago and the Nation. Little, Brown. pp. 290–294. ISBN 978-0-7595-2427-9.
- "Two Crusaders, Reporter and Politician, Give Chicago a Lesson in Marital Clout".
- Green, Paul M.; Holli, Melvin G. (10 January 2013). The Mayors: The Chicago Political Tradition, fourth edition. SIU Press. p. 159. ISBN 9780809331994. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- "Mayoral election results in Chicago". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. 3 Apr 1979. Retrieved 9 March 2021.