2011 Las Vegas mayoral election

The 2011 Las Vegas mayoral election took place on June 7, 2011. Oscar Goodman, the incumbent Las Vegas mayor, was ineligible to run for a fourth term due to term limits. His wife, Carolyn Goodman, entered the race and won 37 percent of the vote in the initial round of voting on April 5, 2011. Chris Giunchigliani, a Clark County Commissioner, came in second with 17 percent.

2011 Las Vegas mayoral election

← 2007 June 7, 2011 2015 →
 
Candidate Carolyn Goodman Chris Giunchigliani Larry Brown
First-round vote 18,040 8,395 8,380
First-round percentage 37.28% 17.35% 17.32%
Second-round vote 33,104 21,601
Second-round percentage 60.51% 39.49%

 
Candidate Victor Chaltiel Steven D. Ross George Harris
First-round vote 6,763 3,053 2,509
First-round percentage 13.98% 6.31% 5.18%

Mayor before election

Oscar Goodman
Independent Democrat

Elected Mayor

Carolyn Goodman
Independent

The race included 18 candidates, and because none received more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election was held on June 7. Goodman easily won against Giunchigliani with 60 percent of the vote. She took office on July 6, 2011, and is set to leave in 2024, having won two more terms.

Candidates

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Incumbent Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, a former attorney, had been elected to three terms between 1999 and 2007; he was term-limited from running again.[1][2] His wife Carolyn Goodman, who also lacked political experience, said in 2009 that she would not consider a mayoral run unless she felt that the right candidate had not emerged. Carolyn Goodman founded the private Meadows school in 1984, and ran it for the next 25 years.[1]

The 2011 mayoral election had the most crowded candidate field in decades, with 18 people entering the race.[3][4] Among the candidates were Clark County Commissioners Chris Giunchigliani and Larry Brown, and Steve Ross, a Las Vegas City Councilman.[5][6] Goodman and Giunchigliani filed their candidacies on February 2, 2011,[7][6] two days before the filing deadline.[8] Goodman was quickly seen as the frontrunner.[1][4] Giunchigliani initially did not plan to run, but changed her mind following encouragement and after researching her odds of winning.[9]

The top contenders were Brown, Giunchigliani, Goodman, Ross, and businessman Victor Chaltiel.[3][10] Other candidates included retired car salesman Joe Falco, who previously ran in the 2003 mayoral election;[11] and Ed Uehling, a real estate investor who previously made an unsuccessful run for Sheriff of Clark County in 1994.[4]

Election results

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The election was held on April 5, 2011. Goodman won 37 percent of the vote, with Giunchigliani in second place, the latter candidate beating Brown by 15 votes.[12] Because no candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election was held between Goodman and Giunchigliani on June 7, 2011.[9][12] Goodman easily prevailed, winning 60 percent of the vote. Although Giunchigliani had the advantage of political experience, Goodman was a popular candidate for her personality, which was seen as a contributing factor in her victory.[13][2] She spent $600,000 in advertising, and her husband also campaigned for her.[2]

Jobs and the economy were top issues in the election,[9] and Goodman vowed to continue her husband's efforts to revitalize downtown Las Vegas.[12] However, she dismissed suggestions that her candidacy was a way for her husband to continue serving through her: "I am very much my own person. I don't listen to him. He doesn't listen to me. We're very much individuals."[14]

Goodman took office on July 6, 2011.[15] She was re-elected in the 2015 and 2019 mayoral elections, and is set to leave office in 2024, marking a 25-year legacy for the Goodmans in Las Vegas.[16][17]

First round

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First round results[18]
Candidate Votes %
Carolyn Goodman 18,040 37.28
Chris Giunchigliani 8,395 17.35
Larry Brown 8,380 17.32
Victor Chaltiel 6,763 13.98
Steven D. Ross 3,053 6.31
George Harris 2,509 5.18
Katie Duncan 485 1.00
Angel F. Vasquez 145 0.30
Anthony Wernicke 142 0.29
Deborah Love 98 0.20
Christine Montez 83 0.17
Duke A. Breuer 63 0.13
Joe Falco 60 0.12
Abdul H. Shabazz 47 0.10
Tim Gamble 41 0.08
Marlene Rogoff 36 0.07
Larry M. Jeppesen 31 0.06
Ed Uehling 21 0.04
Total votes 48,392 100.00

Runoff

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Runoff results[19]
Candidate Votes %
Carolyn Goodman 33,104 60.51
Chris Giunchigliani 21,601 39.49
Total votes 54,705 100.00

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Wife Of Term-limited Las Vegas Mayor Enters Race". CBS. Associated Press. February 2, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Vegas mayor's wife gets to prolong Goodman's glory". Deseret News. Associated Press. June 8, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Choate, Alan (February 4, 2011). "18 in race for Las Vegas mayor's seat". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Miller, Ken (February 17, 2011). "Meet (most of) the 18 candidates in the mayoral clown car". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  5. ^ Toplikar, Dave (January 31, 2011). "Steve Ross, Larry Brown file in Las Vegas mayoral race". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Goldberg, Delen (February 2, 2011). "Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani announces run for Las Vegas mayor". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  7. ^ Toplikar, Dave (February 2, 2011). "Carolyn Goodman, wife of Oscar Goodman, enters Las Vegas mayor race". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  8. ^ Goldberg, Delen (February 4, 2011). "Three new entries bring tally to 18 in Las Vegas mayoral race". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Choate, Alan (April 6, 2011). "Las Vegas mayor's race: It's Goodman vs. Giunchigliani". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  10. ^ Goldberg, Delen (April 5, 2011). "The real primary race for Las Vegas mayor was for second place". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  11. ^ Toplikar, Dave (February 1, 2011). "Retired car salesman enters Las Vegas mayoral race". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Silva, Cristina (April 6, 2011). "Las Vegas mayor's wife wins primary". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  13. ^ Goldberg, Delen (June 7, 2011). "Carolyn Goodman easily wins race for Las Vegas mayor". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  14. ^ Goldberg, Delen (February 3, 2011). "Carolyn Goodman says she, not Oscar, would call shots if elected mayor". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  15. ^ Goldberg, Delen (July 6, 2011). "Carolyn Goodman sworn in as Las Vegas mayor". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  16. ^ Kean, Tricia (April 29, 2023). "The Goodman Years: The Nevada power couple shaping Las Vegas for a quarter-century". KTNV. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  17. ^ Huck, John (May 2, 2023). "A Week with the Goodmans: How they landed on Las Vegas — Part 1". KVVU. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  18. ^ "Election Results". redrock.co.clark.nv.us. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012.
  19. ^ "Election Results". redrock.co.clark.nv.us. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012.