1979 San Francisco mayoral election

1979 San Francisco mayoral election

← 1975 November 6, 1979
December 11, 1979
1983
(recall)
 →
 
Candidate Dianne Feinstein Quentin L. Kopp David Scott
Party Democratic Independent Nonpartisan
First-round vote 81,115 77,784 18,506
First-round percentage 46.63% 44.72% 9.6%
Second-round vote 102,233 87,226
Second-round percentage 53.96% 46.04%

Mayor before election

Dianne Feinstein
Democratic

Elected mayor

Dianne Feinstein
Democratic

The 1979 mayoral election was held to elect the mayor of San Francisco. Incumbent mayor Dianne Feinstein, who had succeeded George Moscone after his assassination the prior year, was elected to her first full term as mayor of the City and County, the first woman to be elected to the position in the city's history. Feinstein, with 46.63%, and Quentin L. Kopp, with 44.72%, were the top two finishers in the first-round, and advanced to a runoff. In the first round the two of them had beat out former Board of Permit Appeals president David Scott, musician Jello Biafra, Sylvia Weinstein, Cesar Ascarrunz, Steve L. Calitri, Tibor Uskert, Joe Hughes and Patricia Dolbeare.

Feinstein and Kopp participated in the December 11 runoff, in which Feinstein won with 53.96% over Kopp's 46.04%. Feinstein was sworn into office on January 1, 1980.