2009 Pittsburgh mayoral election
| Elections in Pennsylvania |
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 Government |
Pittsburgh held a mayoral election on November 3, 2009. Incumbent mayor Luke Ravenstahl, a Democrat, defeated his two independent challengers by a wide margin. The 2009 election was the first regular-cycle election in which Ravenstahl participated; he was originally appointed as an interim mayor to succeed Bob O'Connor and subsequently won a special election in 2007.
Primary
The primary election was held on May 19, 2009. In the Democratic primary, incumbent Mayor Ravenstahl defeated challengers Patrick Dowd, a Pittsburgh city councilman, and Carmen Robinson, an attorney and former police officer.[1]
The Republican primary had no names on the ballot for the office of mayor. Ravenstahl, a Democrat, won the Republican mayoral nomination with 607 write-in votes; no other candidate had the 250 write-in votes required to become the Republican nominee.[2]
General
Ravenstahl, having been nominated by both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, appeared on the general-election ballot with both affiliations.[2] He was joined by two other candidates: businessman Franco 'Dok' Harris (the son of Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris), who ran under the Franco Dok Harris Party, and attorney Kevin Acklin, who ran as an independent.[3] Ravenstahl's relationship with lobbyist John Verbanac became a campaign issue.[4]
Ravenstahl defeated both Harris and Acklin by a wide margin, winning over 55 percent of the vote.[5]
Election results
Democratic primary
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Luke Ravenstahl | 26,880 | 59.19 | |
| Democratic | Patrick Dowd | 12,610 | 27.76 | |
| Democratic | Carmen Robinson | 5,926 | 13.04 | |
| Total votes | 45,416 | 100 | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic/Republican | Luke Ravenstahl | 28,528 | 55.22% | |
| Franco Dok Harris | Franco Dok Harris | 13,060 | 25.28 | |
| Independent | Kevin Acklin | 9,903 | 19.17 | |
| Write-in candidates | 168 | 0.33 | ||
| Total votes | 51,659 | 100 | ||
References
- ^ Lord, Rich; Roddy, Dennis B.; McNulty, Timothy (May 20, 2009). "Ravenstahl cruises past two rivals for Democratic nomination". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ a b Boren, Jeremy (June 8, 2009). "Pittsburgh's Democratic mayor earns Republican nomination". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- ^ "City's three mayoral candidates agree to televised debate". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. October 6, 2009.
- ^ Lord, Rich (October 23, 2009). "Orie praises Verbanac's pension help". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ a b SUMMARY REPORT - Allegheny County - 2009 General Election. Allegheny County Board of Elections. 2009-11-03. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
- ^ SUMMARY REPORT - Allegheny County - 2009 Primary Election. Allegheny County Board of Elections. 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
| Preceded by 2007 |
Pittsburgh mayoral election 2009 |
Succeeded by 2013 |
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| Economy | |
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