1971 Philadelphia mayoral election

Candidates Declared • William J. Green III, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district • Ira Einhorn, counterculture figure and future convicted murderer • Frank Lomento, pretzel vendor • James E. Poole • Albert Sprague, member of Local 141 of the Lithographers and Photo Engravers International Union • Frank Rizzo, Police Commissioner and acting Mayor • Hardy Williams, State Representative from the 191st district Withdrew • David Cohen, former City Councilman (endorsed Green) Campaign Frank Rizzo had a reputation for his harsh policing style and was called "the toughest cop in America". Williams was the first well-known African American to run for mayor of Philadelphia. After Shapp accused Rizzo of police brutality and Pennsylvania Attorney General J . Shane Creamer found Rizzo guilty of having beaten a black demonstrator in 1965, Rizzo dismissed this as a political "cheap shot". The Philadelphia Bulletin argued that the real race was not between Rizzo and Green, but between incumbent mayor Tate and governor Shapp for control of the Philadelphia Democratic Party. This newspaper declined to endorse a candidate. Results ==Republican primary==

Candidates Declared • Thacher Longstreth, At-large City Councilman and candidate for Mayor in 1955 Results Longstreth faced only nominal opposition for the nomination. ==General election==

Candidates • Clarissa Cain, candidate for City Controller in 1969 and Governor in 1970 (Constitutional) • Joseph J. Frieri, candidate for Mayor in 1971 (Conservative) • Thacher Longstreth, At-large City Councilman and candidate for Mayor in 1955 (Republican) • Frank Rizzo, Police Commissioner and acting Mayor (Democratic) • Jean Savage (Socialist Workers) • George S. Taylor, perennial candidate (Socialist Labor) Campaign Rizzo, who had resigned as Police Commissioner earlier in the year, ran a "law-and-order" based campaign to appeal to white, blue-collar voters. His campaign slogan "Rizzo means business" embodied this. All major unions in Philadelphia endorsed Rizzo. Rizzo pledged to hire 2,000 more police officers to restore law and order. Longstreth ran to the left of Rizzo, arguing his methods were "overkill" and racially motivated. He won the endorsement of liberal Democrats and blacks throughout the city, which made the race competitive in a city where Democrats outnumbered Republicans 2-to-1. The two largest daily newspapers in Philadelphia, as well as many other news organizations, endorsed Republican Longstreth. Longstreth also criticized Rizzo's policy proposal to ban tax increases in the next four years as an "insult to the intelligence of voters" as the city of Philadelphia faced budgetary issues at the time. While Longstreth campaigned throughout the city, Rizzo focused primarily on white, working class areas of the city. Results The general election was close, with Rizzo defeating Longstreth by about 7% of the vote. Nonetheless, Rizzo benefited from white racial backlash en route to his first mayoral victory. Rizzo would be re-elected in 1975 in a landslide, increasing his vote share to nearly 57%. Rizzo would later run for mayor as a Republican in 1987 in what would be the first mayoral loss of his career to Democrat Wilson Goode. ==References==