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

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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 Elected Mayor Carolyn Goodman

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

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

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

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

Runoff results^[19]

Candidate		Votes	%
Carolyn Goodman		33,104	60.51
Chris Giunchigliani		21,601	39.49
Total votes		54,705	100.00

References

1. "Wife Of Term-limited Las Vegas Mayor Enters Race". CBS. Associated Press. February 2, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
2. "Vegas mayor's wife gets to prolong Goodman's glory". Deseret News. Associated Press. June 8, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
3. Choate, Alan (February 4, 2011). "18 in race for Las Vegas mayor's seat". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
4. 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. 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. 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. 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. . 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.