The1976 Orlando mayoral election took place on September 7, 1976. Incumbent MayorCarl T. Langford ran for re-election to a third full term.[1] Though City CommissionerGeorge Stuart Jr. considered running for mayor, he ultimately opted against it,[2] leaving advertising executive Shelton Adams as Langford's only opponent.[3]
Langford was the frontrunner in the race, and was endorsed for re-election by theSentinel Star, which praised his "broad administrative experience" and for developing a "long range program" that helped the city economically develop.[4]
Adams ran an aggressive campaign, attracting endorsements from the local police and firefighter unions.[5][6]
Langford won re-election by a narrow margin, receiving 51 percent of the vote to Adams's 49 percent.[7] Langford led on election night, but the race was too close to call until the absentee ballots could be counted,[8] at which point Adams conceded and pledged to run again in1980.[9]
