2008 San Diego mayoral election

The 2008 San Diego mayoral election was held on Tuesday, June 3, 2008, to elect the mayor for San Diego. Incumbent mayor Jerry Sanders ran for a second term as mayor against field of four other candidates.

2008 San Diego mayoral election

← 2005 (special) June 3, 2008 (2008-06-03) 2012 →

Nominee Jerry Sanders Steve Francis Party Republican Republican Popular vote 116,527 73,665 Percentage 54.3% 34.3%

Mayor before election Jerry Sanders Republican Elected Mayor Jerry Sanders Republican

Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, though some candidates do receive funding and support from various political parties. The non-partisan primary was held Tuesday, June 3, 2008. Since the incumbent Sanders received a majority of primary votes, he was elected outright with no need for a runoff in the November general election.^[1]

Candidates

• Jerry Sanders, incumbent mayor of San Diego^[2] (Voter registration: Republican)
• Steve Francis, businessman and mayoral candidate in 2005^[2] (Voter registration: Republican)
• Floyd L. Morrow, former member of the San Diego City Council and mayoral candidate in 1986 and 1988^[3] (Voter registration: Democratic)
• Eric M. Bidwell, T-shirt designer^[4] (No political affiliation)
• James B. Hart, aircraft mechanic and perennial candidate^[3] (Voter registration: Republican)

Campaign

Fellow republican Steve Francis was considered the main opponent to incumbent Jerry Sanders by local reporters.^[5] The race was notable for the open hostility between the two front-runners. Memorably, after an April debate in Balboa Park, instead of shaking Francis's hand, Sanders privately said "Fuck you, Steve" instead. Francis later reported the profanity to the local media. In response to questions about the incident, Sanders claimed that he was frustrated with Francis trying to "buy the office" with his personal fortune and conducting push polls impugning his record as mayor.^[6]

Primary election results

San Diego Mayoral Primary election, 2008^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jerry Sanders (incumbent)	116,527	54.3
	Republican	Steve Francis	73,665	34.3
	Democratic	Floyd L. Morrow	13,620	6.4
	Nonpartisan	Eric M. Bidwell	8,368	3.9
	Republican	James B. Hart	2,392	0.7
Total votes			214,572	100

General election

Because Sanders won a majority of the votes in the June primary, there was no need for a runoff in the November general election.

References

1. "How to Run for Office". The City of San Diego-Office of the City Clerk. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
2. "Election History - Mayor of San Diego" (PDF). City of San Diego. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
3. "Francis Congratulates Sanders On Election Win". ABC 10 News. June 4, 2005. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
4. Hoffman, Allison (May 31, 2008). "Fringe candidate stirs up San Diego mayoral race". USA Today. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
5. St. John, Alison (April 24, 2008). "Mayor Sanders Defends Profanity Against Francis". KPBS. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
6. Donohue, Andrew (April 23, 2008). "I Said 'F--- You, Steve'". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.