The 1961 Los Angeles mayoral election took place on April 4, 1961, with a runoff election on May 31, 1961. Incumbent Norris Poulson was defeated by Sam Yorty, a former U.S. Representative.[1]
Municipal elections in California, including Mayor of Los Angeles, are officially nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.[2]
Poulson ran for re-election for a third term after a movement to "draft" Poulson for a next term.[3][4] In January 1961, former U.S. RepresentativeSam Yorty entered the race, criticizing Poulson for his handling of smog and taxes in Los Angeles.[5]Patrick D. McGee, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, also announced his run for mayor.[6] Both Yorty and McGee had talked about rumors surrounding Poulson that said that he had throat cancer, which Poulson denied.[7] In the primary election, Poulson and Yorty advanced to the runoff election.[8] In the runoff, Yorty defeated Poulson in the election, which some newspapers said was because Poulson "could not make a good public appearance."[9][1]
