The

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

mayoral election of 1979 took place on November 6, 1979 and saw the reelection of Republican William H. Hudnut III. Hudnut defeated Democratic former city-county councilman

Paul Cantwell Paul Francis Cantwell (September 15, 1927 – June 30, 1997) was an American politician, active in Indianapolis, who served as a Democratic member of the Indiana House of Representatives. Early life Cantwell was born September 15, 1927. Cantwe ...

in what was reported to have been the greatest margin of defeat for a Democratic candidate in an Indianapolis mayoral election in 150 years. Cantwell had resigned his City-County Council seat to focus on his campaign. Ahead of the election season, Hudnut had demonstrated a strong advantage in polls. Top prospective Democratic candidates declined to run. Cantwell struggled to raise funds, ultimately raising only $38,000. Hudnut, meanwhile, spent $278,000 dollars during his campaign. At the time of the election, Cantwell's son Danny Cantwell was awaiting trial for murder. He would be

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

in November 1980. Paul Cantwell argued that the charges were political, and were retribution for his investigations of police

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

Results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Indianapolis Mayoral Election, 1979

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

1979 United States mayoral elections 1979 Indiana elections