The Mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

al election of 2005 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

was held on Tuesday

Election Day (United States)

Election Day in the United States is the day set by law for the general elections of public officials. It occurs on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The earliest possible date is November 2 and the latest possible date is November 8...

, November 6, 2005. The incumbent mayor, Tom Murphy of the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 chose not to run for what would have been a record fourth straight term.

Democratic primary

Longtime City Councilman Bob O'Connor, who was defeated in the Democratic primary for mayor in the previous two elections, won nearly half the vote in a four-way contest. With outgoing executive Murphy deeply unpopular due to a 2003 budgetary crisis, O'Connor, a heated Murphy rival, emerged as a the top candidate. His victory came against his legislative partner Bill Peduto

Bill Peduto

William Peduto, Democrat, was elected to Pittsburgh City Council, District 8, in November, 2001, and to a second four-year term in 2005.In the spring primary of 2005, Peduto ran for two positions. Besides running for re-election for his council seat, Peduto was a candidate for mayor...

, City Controller Michael Lamb, and former Allegheny County Councilman Louis "Hop" Kenrick.

General election

The general election was uncompetitive, as is the standard in heavily Democratic Pittsburgh, as O'Connor won by 40 points against Republican attorney Joe Weinroth. A total of 59,961 votes were cast.