1997 Pittsburgh mayoral election

1997 Pittsburgh mayoral election

November 4, 1997

Nominee Tom Murphy Harry Frost Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 63,246 17,161 Percentage 76.9% 20.9%

Mayor before election Tom Murphy Democratic Elected Mayor Tom Murphy Democratic

The mayoral election of 1997 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was held on Tuesday, November 4, 1997. The incumbent mayor, Tom Murphy of the Democratic Party was running for a second straight term.

Democratic primary

Murphy faced a difficult battle from City Council President Bob O'Connor, who would later go on to become mayor. The incumbent's popularity was waning due to his steadfast of two controversial measures: a tax to construct new stadiums for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Pirates, and a faltering public-private partnership to purchase vacant Downtown storefronts. The battle was especially tense due to personality differences between the two men that led to frequently clashes over legislation.

1997 Pittsburgh mayoral election, Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Murphy (incumbent)	35,557	53.6
	Democratic	Bob O'Connor	26,652	41.7
	Democratic	Chaston Roston	3,104	4.7
Total votes			65,313	100

General Election

A total of 82,203 votes were cast in the general election. As is typical of races in Pittsburgh, the Democratic candidate won by a large margin over Republican Harry Frost, a construction executive.

Pittsburgh mayoral election, 1997

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tom Murphy (incumbent)	63,246	76.9
	Republican	Harry Frost	17,161	20.9
Turnout			82,203
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

• "Republican mayoral candidates through the years". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 7, 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2009.

Preceded by 1993

Pittsburgh mayoral election 1997

Succeeded by 2001