1994 Washington, D.C., mayoral election

On November 8, 1994, Washington, D.C., held an election for its mayor. It featured the return of Marion Barry, who served as mayor from 1979 until 1991.

1994 Washington, D.C., mayoral election

← 1990 November 8, 1994 1998 →

Nominee Marion Barry Carol Schwartz Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 102,884 76,902 Percentage 56.0% 41.9%

Results by ward Barry:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Schwartz:      40–50%      60–70%      >90%

Mayor before election Sharon Pratt Kelly Democratic Elected mayor Marion Barry Democratic

Barry served six months in prison on a cocaine conviction. After his release from prison, Barry ran successfully for the Ward 8 city council seat in 1992, running under the slogan "He May Not Be Perfect, But He's Perfect for D.C." Upon this victory, Barry said he was "not interested in being mayor" again.^[1]

This was by far the smallest Democratic victory margin in a regularly scheduled partisan citywide election since the city was granted home rule.

Campaign

Democratic primary

Sharon Pratt Kelly succeeded Barry as mayor. In the second year of her term, Barry loyalists mounted a recall campaign, which, although unsuccessful, weakened her administration.

Councillor John Ray received the endorsement of The Washington Post and was favored to win the primary.^[2] However, Barry ran a grassroots campaign, touting his record balancing the budget in 10 of his 12 years as mayor.^[2]

General election

A major issue in the campaign was how to cut $140 million from the city budget, as mandated by Congress. Though Barry was seen by some as responsible for the bureaucracy^[3] and Schwartz criticized Barry's proposals as old and ineffective,^[4] Barry tied his personal redemption to the redemption of the city.

Results

Democratic primary

1994 Washington, D.C. mayoral election, Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Marion Barry	66,777	47.18
	Democratic	John Ray	52,088	36.80
	Democratic	Sharon Pratt Kelly (incumbent)	18,717	13.22
	Democratic	Otis Holloman Troupe	1,897	1.34
	Democratic	Write-in	829	0.59
	Democratic	Don Reeves	598	0.42
	Democratic	Osie Thorpe	456	0.32
Majority
Turnout

Republican primary

1994 Washington, D.C. mayoral election, Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Carol Schwartz	3,764	74.85
	Republican	Brian P. Moore	641	12.75
	Republican	Write-in	624	12.41
Majority
Turnout

General election

1994 Washington, D.C. mayoral election results^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Marion Barry	102,884	56.02	−30.1
	Republican	Carol Schwartz	76,902	41.87	+30.4
	Independent	Write-in	982	0.54
	Independent	Curtis Pree	852	0.46
	DC Statehood	Jodean M. Marks	695	0.38	−0.31
	Independent	Jesse Battle Jr.	488	0.27
	Independent	Faith Dane	423	0.23	+0.16
	Socialist Workers	Aaron Ruby	423	0.23	+0.12
Majority			25,982	14.15	−60.5
Turnout			183,649	50.75

See also

• Electoral history of Marion Barry

External links

• https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/09/us/1994-elections-nation-capital-barry-rebounds-disgrace-win-again-washington.html?n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes+Topics%2FPeople%2FB%2FBarry%2C+Marion+S.+Jr.

References

1. "Former Mayor's Victory Worries Many in Capital". The New York Times. September 17, 1992. Retrieved July 30, 2008.
2. "Marion Barry makes comeback, wins D.C. Democratic mayoral primary". Jet. 1994.
3. "Marion Barry May Be More Than Just An Embarrassment". Businessweek.com. October 3, 1994. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011.
4. Janofsky, Michael (November 9, 1994). "THE 1994 ELECTIONS: THE NATION THE CAPITAL; Barry Rebounds From Disgrace to Win Again in Washington". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
5. "November 8 General Election". District of Columbia Board of Elections. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.