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1949 Los Angeles mayoral election

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1949 Los Angeles mayoral election

← 1945 April 5, 1949 (1949-04-05) and May 31, 1949 (1949-05-31) 1953 ⊟
 
Candidate Fletcher Bowron Lloyd Aldrich
First round 179,929
44.99%
87,766
21.95%
Runoff 238,190
53.48%
207,211
46.52%

 
Candidate Ellis E. Patterson Jack Tenney
First round 57,286
14.33%
48,162
12.04%
Runoff Eliminated Eliminated

Mayor before election

Fletcher Bowron

Elected Mayor

Fletcher Bowron

The 1949 Los Angeles mayoral election took place on April 5, 1949, with a run-off election on May 31, 1949. Incumbent Fletcher Bowron was re-elected.[1]

Municipal elections in California, including Mayor of Los Angeles, are officially nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.[2]

Election

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Bowron announced his candidacy for a fourth full term in office, with State Senator Jack Tenney, City Engineer Lloyd Aldrich, and Board of Education member Olin Darby also announcing their intentions to run against Bowron.[3] In the primary, Bowron and Aldritch advanced to the general runoff election.[4] Tenney, the head of the House Un-American Activities Committee, was opposed by the AFL Central Labor Council and came in third.[5] In the runoff election, Bowron defeated Aldritch by a smaller margin, with Bowron calling the election the "dirtiest in [his] experience," due to him and Aldrich being political enemies.[6]

Results

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Primary election

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Los Angeles mayoral primary election, April 5, 1949[7]
Candidate Votes %
Fletcher Bowron (incumbent) 179,929 44.99
Lloyd Aldrich 87,766 21.95
Ellis E. Patterson 57,286 14.33
Jack Tenney 48,162 12.04
Olin E. Darby 18,806 4.70
Joseph E. Shaw 2,716 0.68
William N. Attaway 2,647 0.66
Myra Tanner Weiss 1,506 0.38
Joseph H. Thayer 1,085 0.27
Total votes 399,903 100.00

General election

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Los Angeles mayoral general election, May 31, 1949[8]
Candidate Votes %
Fletcher Bowron (incumbent) 238,190 53.48
Lloyd Aldrich 207,211 46.52
Total votes 445,401 100.00

References and footnotes

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  1. ^ "Bowron Re-elected; Port Votes for Aldrich, 2 to I Mayor Wins by 30,000 in Close Contest". San Pedro News Pilot. June 1, 1949.
  2. ^ "LOS ANGELES: STRUCTURE OF A CITY GOVERNMENT" (PDF). League of Women Voters.
  3. ^ "Bowron to Try for Re-Election". San Pedro News Pilot. January 17, 1949.
  4. ^ "Bowron, Aldrich to Stage Runoff May 31; Moore, Becker Re-elected One Third of Registered Port Voters at Polls". San Pedro News Pilot. April 6, 1949.
  5. ^ "TENNEY LOSES IN L. A. BALLOT". Organized Labor. April 22, 1949.
  6. ^ "Bitter Fight Ends LA Re-Elects Mayor Bowron In Hotly Contested Balloting". Madera Tribune. June 1, 1949.
  7. ^ "Los Angeles Mayor - Primary". Our Campaigns.
  8. ^ "Los Angeles Mayor". Our Campaigns.
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