1997 Seattle mayoral election

1997 Seattle mayoral election
	November 4, 1997
Mayor before election; Norm Rice; Nonpartisan	Elected Mayor ; Paul Schell; Nonpartisan

The 1997 Seattle mayoral election took place on November 4, 1997, to select the Mayor of Seattle, Washington. Incumbent Mayor Norm Rice, who unsuccessfully ran for Governor in 1996, declined to seek re-election to a third term.^[1] Eleven candidates ran to succeed him, including Port Commissioner Paul Schell, County Councilman Greg Nickels, and three members of the Seattle City Council: Charlie Chong, Cheryl Chow, and Jane Noland.

In the primary election, Schell placed first, winning 28 percent of the vote. Chong narrowly defeated Nickels for second place, winning 21 percent of the vote to Nickels's 20 percent, a result that took several days to determine as mail ballots were counted.^[2] Schell ultimately defeated Chong by a wide margin in the general election, winning 57 percent of the vote.^[3]

Primary election

Candidates

Paul Schell, Port Commissioner^[4]
Charlie Chong, City Councilman^[5]
Greg Nickels, County Councilman^[4]
Jane Noland, City Councilwoman^[4]
Cheryl Chow, City Councilwoman^[4]
Scott A. Breen
Mike The Mover, perennial candidate^[6]
Gordon Herr, former State Senator^[5]
Jim (Davy Jones XLV) Guilfoil, pirate impersonator^[6]
Stan Lippmann
Max Englerius

Results

Primary election results^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Paul Schell	31,396	28.14%
	Nonpartisan	Charlie Chong	23,725	21.26%
	Nonpartisan	Greg Nickels	22,642	20.29%
	Nonpartisan	Jane Noland	17,633	15.80%
	Nonpartisan	Cheryl Chow	13,192	11.82%
	Nonpartisan	Scott A. Breen	712	0.64%
	Nonpartisan	Mike The Mover	670	0.60%
	Nonpartisan	Gordon Herr	575	0.52%
	Nonpartisan	Jim (Davy Jones XLV) Guilfoil	556	0.50%
	Nonpartisan	Stan Lippmann	262	0.23%
	Nonpartisan	Max Englerius	227	0.20%
Total votes			111,590	100.00%

General election

Results

1997 Seattle mayoral election^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Paul Schell	106,414	56.57%
	Nonpartisan	Charlie Chong	81,683	43.43%
Total votes			188,097	100.00%

References

^ "Seattle mayor won't seek third term". The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham, Washington. April 10, 1997. p. B1. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Chong's lead grows in bid to remain in mayoral race". The Spokesman-Review. Seattle, Washington. September 20, 1997. p. B5. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
^ "Schell beats Chong in race for mayor". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. November 5, 1997. p. A7. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Seattle mayor race may inspire turnout". The Everett Herald. September 14, 1997. p. 1B. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Councilman Chong joins race for mayor". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. July 21, 1997. p. B2. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Local races the focus of today's primary elections". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. September 16, 1997. p. B4. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Report Of Contributions and Expenditures In The 1997 City Election" (PDF). Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission. December 22, 1997. Retrieved July 29, 2025.

[1] "Seattle mayor won't seek third term". The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham, Washington. April 10, 1997. p. B1. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] "Chong's lead grows in bid to remain in mayoral race". The Spokesman-Review. Seattle, Washington. September 20, 1997. p. B5. Retrieved July 31, 2025.

[3] "Schell beats Chong in race for mayor". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. November 5, 1997. p. A7. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[inspire_turnout-4] "Seattle mayor race may inspire turnout". The Everett Herald. September 14, 1997. p. 1B. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[joins_race-5] "Councilman Chong joins race for mayor". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. July 21, 1997. p. B2. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[local_races-6] "Local races the focus of today's primary elections". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. September 16, 1997. p. B4. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[election_results-7] "Report Of Contributions and Expenditures In The 1997 City Election" (PDF). Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission. December 22, 1997. Retrieved July 29, 2025.

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