A special primary election to determine the member of theUnited States House of Representatives forCalifornia's 5th congressional district was held on April 7, 1987, with a special general election held two months later on June 2.
Incumbent RepresentativeSala Burton , who herself was elected during aspecial election following the death of her husbandPhillip Burton , the previous incumbent, died on February 1, 1987, fromcolon cancer .[ 1] California Democratic Party chair and futureSpeaker of the House Nancy Pelosi .[ 2]
Fourteen candidates ran in the special primary.
Harriet Ross Kevin W. Wadsworth Tom Spinosa,World War II andVietnam War veteran and San Francisco County Republican Party official[ 8] Mike Garza Peace and Freedom Party [ edit ] Karen Edwards Catherine Renee Sedwick Primary results by neighborhood. Pelosi—40-50%
Pelosi—30-40%
Britt—60–70%
Britt—50-60%
Britt—40–50%
Britt—30-40%
Thenonpartisan blanket primary was held on April 7, 1987. A candidate winning 50% of the vote would automatically fill the vacant seat. If no candidate won 50%, a special general election (essentially a runoff) would be triggered with the top candidates in each party advancing to it.
1987 California's 5th congressional district special election[ 9] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Nancy Pelosi 38,927 36.12 Democratic Harry Britt 35,008 32.48 Democratic William Maher 15,355 14.25 Democratic Doris M. Ward 6,498 6.03 Republican Harriet Ross 3,016 2.8 Democratic Carol Ruth Silver 2,896 2.69 Republican Kevin W. Wadsworth 1,755 1.63 Republican Tom Spinosa 1,712 1.59 Republican Mike Garza 1,262 1.17 Independent Karen Edwards 447 0.42 Libertarian Sam Grove 408 0.38 Peace and Freedom Theodore Zurr 187 0.17 Independent Catherine Renee Sedwick 164 0.15 Democratic Brian Lantz 141 0.13 Total votes 107,776 100.0
Special general election [ edit ] The special general election took place on June 2, 1987, withNancy Pelosi gaining a majority of the vote and winning Sala Burton's seat.[ 2]
^ Morain, Dan (February 7, 1987)."Rep. Sala Burton, Who Replaced Husband in Congress, Dies at 61" .Los Angeles Times . RetrievedJanuary 19, 2021 . ^a b "Democrat Elected in San Francisco" .The New York Times . Associated Press. June 3, 1987.Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. RetrievedFebruary 17, 2017 .^ "It began in Baltimore: The life and times of Nancy Pelosi" .San Francisco Chronicle . January 2, 2007.Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. RetrievedJanuary 20, 2019 .^ Faderman, Lillian (2015).The Gay Revolution . New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 371– 72.ISBN 978-1-4516-9411-6 ^ "Gay is expected to make strong run for House seat" .San Jose Mercury News . February 10, 1987. pp. 1C.^a b c "Board of Supervisors: Past Supervisors" . City and County of San Francisco. Archived fromthe original on November 14, 2008. RetrievedNovember 19, 2008 .^ Miller, Johnny (January 20, 2010)"Top cop shoots down supe on guns." San Francisco Chronicle ^ "Tom Spinosa Obituary (2008)" .Legacy.com .San Francisco Chronicle . October 31, 2008. RetrievedJanuary 19, 2021 .^ "Our Campaigns - CA District 5 - Special Election Race - Apr 07, 1987" . OurCampaign. July 12, 2020. RetrievedJanuary 19, 2021 .^ "Our Campaigns - CA District 5 - Special Runoff Race - Jun 02, 1987" . OurCampaigns. April 18, 2016. RetrievedJanuary 19, 2021 .
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