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1921 Pittsburgh mayoral election

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1921 Pittsburgh mayoral election

← 1917 November 8, 1921 1925 →
 
Nominee William A. Magee William N. McNair
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 77,367 34,492
Percentage 67.9% 30.3%

Mayor before election

Edward V. Babcock

Elected Mayor

William A. Magee
Republican

The 1921 Pittsburgh mayoral election was held on Tuesday, November 8, 1921. Republican nominee William A. Magee was elected by a large margin over Democratic candidate William N. McNair.

Background

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The 1921 election was the last election under a law that prohibited mayors of Pittsburgh from serving consecutive terms. This law precluded incumbent mayor Edward V. Babcock from running for re-election.[1]

The nonpartisan election law governing the previous two mayoral elections was repealed, bringing an end to the nonpartisan blanket primary and a return to the party system.[1]

Republican primary

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Former mayor William A. Magee, who had run for a non-consecutive second term in 1917 but lost to Babcock, ran yet again and won the Republican nomination over Joseph N. Mackrell. Magee's victory was aided by a truce in an ongoing feud with Republican boss and "Maker of Mayors" Max Leslie.[1]

General election

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In the November general election, Magee easily defeated Democratic candidate William N. McNair.[1] McNair would be elected mayor twelve years later, ushering in an era of Democratic dominance in city politics.

Pittsburgh mayoral election, 1921[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William A. Magee 77,367 67.9
Democratic William N. McNair* 34,492 30.3
Socialist William J. Van Essen 2,034 1.8
Industrialist George W. Ohls 73 0.1
Total votes 113,966 100.0

*McNair was also the nominee of the Prohibition and "Lincoln" parties.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Townley, John B. (June 23, 1934). "Pittsburgh Has Had Three Democratic Mayors in 50 Years". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 16.
  2. ^ "Official Count of Vote, Nov. 8, Is Made Known". The Pittsburgh Press. December 8, 1921. p. 5.
Preceded by
1917
Pittsburgh mayoral election
1921
Succeeded by
1925