1991 Philadelphia mayoral election

← 1987

November 5, 1991

1995 →

Turnout

61%^[1]

10 pp


Nominee	Ed Rendell	Joseph M. Egan, Jr.
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	288,467	132,811
Percentage	64.24%	29.58%

Mayor before election

Wilson Goode
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Ed Rendell
Democratic

Federal government

U.S. President
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Presidential primaries
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U.S. Senate
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U.S. House of Representatives
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State government

Governor
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Lieutenant Governor
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Attorney General
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Auditor General
2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
State Treasurer
2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
State Senate
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
State House of Representatives
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024

Philadelphia

Mayoral elections
1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1865 1868 1871 1874 1877 1881 1884 1887 1891 1895 1899 1903 1907 1911 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
City Council elections
2015 2019 2022–23 sp. 2023
Other municipal elections
1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 2023

The 1991 Philadelphia mayoral election saw the election of Democrat Ed Rendell.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Lucien Blackwell, City Councilman and Consumers Party nominee for Mayor in 1979
George R. Burrell, Jr., City Councilman^[2]
Peter Hearn, former Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association^[2]
Ed Rendell, former District Attorney of Philadelphia and candidate for Mayor in 1987

Results

Philadelphia mayoral Democratic primary, 1991
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Ed Rendell	146,373	49.50%
Democratic	Lucien Blackwell	79,212	26.79%
Democratic	George R. Burrell, Jr.	43,787	14.81%
Democratic	Peter Hearn	26,353	8.91%

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Ronald Castille, Philadelphia District Attorney
Sam Katz, municipal finance expert^[2]
Frank Rizzo, former Mayor

Withdrew

Joan Specter, City Councilwoman^[3] (to run for re-election)
Dennis Morrison-Wesley, tax consultant^[3]^[4] (to run as New Philadelphia candidate)

Declined

Thacher Longstreth, nominee for Mayor in 1955 and 1971^[3]
Brian J. O'Neill, City Councilman^[3]

Results

Philadelphia mayoral Republican primary, 1991
	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Frank Rizzo	47,523	36.45%
Republican	Ronald Castille	46,094	35.35%
Republican	Sam Katz	36,764	28.20%

Following Rizzo's death, City Council candidate Joseph Egan was selected by the Philadelphia Republican Party to replace Rizzo as the nominee.^[5]

Independents and third parties

Consumer

Pamela Lawler

New Alliance

Willie Dennis-Scott

New Philadelphia

Dennis Morrison-Wesley, tax consultant

Socialist Workers

Kathleen Mickells, coal miner and nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1988

General election

Results

**Philadelphia mayoral election, 1991**^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Ed Rendell	288,467	64.24%	(({change))}
	Republican	Joseph M. Egan, Jr.	132,811	29.58%
	New Philadelphia	Dennis Morrison-Wesley	14,640	3.26%
	Citizens	Pamela Lawler	9,367	2.09%
	New Alliance	Willie Dennis Scott	1,934	0.43%
	Socialist Workers	Kathleen Mickells	1,811	0.40%
Majority
Turnout			449,030	100.00%
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

^ Denvir, Daniel (May 22, 2015). "Voter Turnout in U.S. Mayoral Elections Is Pathetic, But It Wasn't Always This Way". City Lab. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c Decourcy Hinds, Michael (May 20, 1991). "The Primary for Mayor Is Leaving Many in Philadelphia Befuddled". The New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Lutton, Christine (February 6, 1991). "Council veteran awaits the call". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
^ Schwartz, Maralee (January 27, 1991). "FORMER MAYOR RIZZO MAKING ANOTHER BID TO LEAD PHILADELPHIA". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
^ Decourcy Hinds, Michael (August 3, 1991). "Philadelphia Journal; Egan for Mayor. Ah, but Which One?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
^ "Mayors of the City of Philadelphia 1691-2000". City of Philadelphia. Retrieved April 28, 2019.

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