The 1997 Atlanta mayoral election occurred on November 4, 1997, with a

runoff election The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...

held on November 25, 1997. Since no candidate received a

majority A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from #Related terms, related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-Webster runoff election The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...

was held between the top-two finishers. Incumbent mayor Bill Campbell won reelection in the runoff.

Candidates

;Advanced to runoff *

Marvin S. Arrington Sr. Marvin Stephens Arrington Sr. (born February 10, 1941) is an American judge in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia and a former politician in the city of Atlanta. Elected to the Atlanta Board of Aldermen in 1969 (a precursor to the present ...

, Atlanta city councilor * Bill Campbell,

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

mayor ;Eliminated in general election *John Genins *Louise T. Hornsby *Jack Jersawitz *Doug Nelson *G.B. Osborne *J. Alley Pat Patrick *

Gloria Bromell Tinubu Gloria Bromell Tinubu (born February 22, 1953) is an applied economist, educator, and political figure. She served on the Atlanta City Council and as a member of the Georgia State Assembly, as well as running as a candidate for Mayor of Atlanta. ...

, Atlanta city councilor

Campaign

Ahead of the November 4 election, incumbent Campbell and challenger Arrington exchanged attacks, including personal attacks. Personal attacks between the candidates increased in the runoff. The race was regarded as one of the nastiest mayoral campaigns the city had seen in more than two decades. The discourse of the runoff campaign, which was between two

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

candidates, took on

racial A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

tones. Former mayor

Maynard Jackson Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr. (March 23, 1938 – June 23, 2003) was an American politician and attorney from Georgia. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in 1973 at the age of 35 as the first black mayor of Atlanta, Georgia and of ...

, a supporter of Campbell, likened

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, who largely supported Arrington in the election, to "

Lester Maddox Lester Garfield Maddox Sr. (September 30, 1915 – June 25, 2003) was an American politician who served as the 75th governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971. A populist Democrat, Maddox came to prominence as a staunch segregationis ...

types", and argued that, if Arrington were elected, it would reverse

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

progress that the city had made. Arrington denounced such remarks as

race baiting Incitement to ethnic or racial hatred is a crime under the laws of several countries. Australia In Australia, the Racial Hatred Act 1995 amends the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, inserting Part IIA – Offensive Behaviour Because of Race, Colour ...

. Days later, Arrington attacked Jackson, accusing him of not participating in the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

, and argued that he had instead been "in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, passing", which was widely interpreted as meaning that the

light skin Light skin is a human skin color that has a base level of eumelanin pigmentation that has adapted to environments of low UV radiation. Light skin is most commonly found amongst the native populations of Europe and East Asia as measured through s ...

ned Jackson was " passing" as White. Many saw Arrington's remarks as having brought to the surface the political dynamics related to Campbell being a light-skinned black candidate and Arrington being a

dark skin Dark skin is a type of human skin color that is rich in melanin pigments. People with very dark skin are often referred to as "black people", although this usage can be ambiguous in some countries where it is also used to specifically refer to d ...

ned black candidate. After Arrington's remarks sparked outrage, Arrington argued that he had instead meant to say that, during the early days of the civil rights movement, Jackson, "was in Cleveland, passing out

dictionaries A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, p ...

and

encyclopedia An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

s." In response to Arrington's remarks, Jackson called Arrington, "an old burned-out, do-nothing, lackluster politician with serious insecurities and hidden angers." Campbell distributed materials by mail which argued that the, mayor's race "is now a civil rights issue", warning that, "if the ultra

conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

control City Hall we will lose the gains achieved during the last 25 years." Arrington criticized these mailers, arguing that they were

code In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...

for saying that "White north Atlanta" would control City Hall if Arrington were elected. Both candidates sought to win the black vote, seen as critical to either candidate's paths to victory in a city where black people comprised two-thirds of the populace. Campbell's campaign spent roughly $3 million, which was roughly twice what Arrington's campaign spent. Other campaign issues included

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

and the safety of the city's

water system A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following: # A drainage basin (see water purification – source ...

. Turnout for the runoff was considered low.

Results

General election (November 4)

Runoff (November 25)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlanta Mayoral Election, 1997 1997 in Atlanta 1997 Georgia (U.S. state) elections 1997 United States mayoral elections

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...