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The1961 Los Angeles mayoral election took place on April 4, 1961, with a runoff election on May 31, 1961. IncumbentNorris Poulson was defeated bySam Yorty, a formerU.S. Representative.[1]
Municipal elections in California, including Mayor of Los Angeles, are officially nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.[2]
Poulson ran for re-election for a third term after a movement to "draft" Poulson for a next term.[3][4] In January 1961, formerU.S. RepresentativeSam Yorty entered the race, criticizing Poulson for his handling of smog and taxes in Los Angeles.[5]Patrick D. McGee, a member of theLos Angeles City Council, also announced his run for mayor.[6] Both Yorty and McGee had talked about rumors surrounding Poulson that said that he had throat cancer, which Poulson denied.[7] In the primary election, Poulson and Yorty advanced to the runoff election.[8] In the runoff, Yorty defeated Poulson in the election, which some newspapers said was because Poulson "could not make a good public appearance."[9][1]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norris Poulson (incumbent) | 179,273 | 39.67 | |
| Sam Yorty | 122,478 | 27.10 | |
| Patrick D. McGee | 115,635 | 25.59 | |
| Robert C. Ronstadt | 11,340 | 2.51 | |
| Howard M. Kessler | 7,558 | 1.67 | |
| William Carpenter | 7,267 | 1.61 | |
| M. Garet Miller | 4,640 | 1.03 | |
| Oscar G. Coover | 2,141 | 0.47 | |
| Wallace J. Lauria | 1,598 | 0.35 | |
| Total votes | 451,930 | 100.00 | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Yorty | 275,249 | 51.45 | |
| Norris Poulson (incumbent) | 259,760 | 48.55 | |
| Total votes | 535,009 | 100.00 | |
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