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The2014 San Jose mayoral election was held on June 3, 2014, to elect theMayor ofSan Jose,California.CouncilmemberSam Liccardo defeatedSanta Clara CountySupervisorDave Cortese in a runoff on November 4, 2014.
IncumbentDemocratic MayorChuck Reed wasterm limited and could not run for re-election to a third consecutive term in office.
The election was nonpartisan per California state law, although most of the candidates chose to state a political party affiliation. A primary election was held on June 3, 2014. As no candidate received a majority of the vote, a runoff election was held between the top two vote-getters,Dave Cortese andSam Liccardo, on November 4, 2014.[1] Liccardo was elected mayor with a majority of the vote.
Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan.
The primary election saw a total of ten candidates on the ballot, including Dave Cortese, a Santa Clara County Supervisor and former San Jose City Councilmember, as well as four sitting San Jose City Councilmembers: Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen, Sam Liccardo, Pierluigi Oliverio, and Rose Herrera.
The political climate of the race was influenced by an ongoing dispute between representatives of the city's labor force and Mayor Chuck Reed, stemming from a 2012 ballot initiative championed by Reed to restructure San Jose City employee pensions. Dave Cortese received the full endorsement and support of the politically powerfulSouth Bay Labor Council, while the four sitting councilmembers, having supported Mayor Reed's pension reform initiative, were described as "Reed loyalists."[6] This ideological polarization was present not just in San Jose's mayoral election, but in a number of City Council races as well.[7]
As part of his campaign, Councilmember Liccardo authored a book in which he assessed the issues facing San Jose and offered his own vision for the city. On May 2, the editorial board of theSan Jose Mercury News endorsed Liccardo for mayor, citing the book as well as his record on the council.[8]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Michael Alvarado | Bill Chew | Dave Cortese | Timothy Harrison | Rose Herrera | Sam Liccardo | Madison Nguyen | Pierluigi Oliverio | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[9] | May 15–21, 2014 | 461 | ± 4.7% | 3% | 3% | 26% | 1% | 7% | 20% | 11% | 8% | — | 22% |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Cortese | 43,887 | 33.72 | |
| Sam Liccardo | 33,521 | 25.75 | |
| Madison Nguyen | 26,365 | 20.26 | |
| Pierluigi Oliverio | 13,197 | 10.14 | |
| Rose Herrera | 7,950 | 6.11 | |
| Mike Alvarado | 1,959 | 1.51 | |
| Timothy Harrison | 1,715 | 1.32 | |
| Bill Chew | 1,563 | 1.20 | |
| Total votes | 130,157 | 100.00 | |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Dave Cortese | Sam Liccardo | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[11] | October 20–23, 2014 | 540 | ± 4.3% | 44% | 38% | 19% |
| San Jose State University[12] | October 12–16, 2014 | 571 | ± 4.1% | 34% | 26% | 40% |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Liccardo | 91,840 | 50.76 | |
| Dave Cortese | 89,090 | 49.24 | |
| Total votes | 180,930 | 100.00 | |
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