2001 Detroit mayoral election
November 7, 2001 (2001-11-07)
 
Candidate Kwame Kilpatrick Gil Hill
Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan
Percentage 54% 46%
Mayor before election

Dennis Archer

 Elected Mayor

Kwame Kilpatrick

The 2001 Detroit mayoral election took place on November 7, 2001. It saw the election of Kwame Kilpatrick.

At the age of 31, Kilpatrick became the youngest mayor ever elected in the city's history.[1]

Background

On April 7, 2001, incumbent mayor Dennis Archer made the surprise announcement that he would be running for a third term.[2]

Candidates

Ran

Twenty-one candidates ran.[3]

Advanced to general election

Eliminated in primary

Declined to run

Primary

Campaigning

The nonpartisan primary election was held on September 1, 2001.

Hill had initially supported Kilpatrick for mayor, before reversing and launching his own campaign.[12]

The primary election campaign was regarded to have been largely polite in character.[13] Hill and Kilpatrick, in particular, were noted to be respectful in their regard of each other during the primary, unusually so for a Detroit mayoral election.[12]

Hill was endorsed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and United Auto Workers.[13][14]

Outgoing mayor Dennis Archer did not endorse any candidate.[14] Also declining to endorse a candidate was governor John Engler.[15]

Kilpatrick made a number of gaffes that were seen as hampering his momentum among parts of the electorate.[14] One gaffe was remarking, while on a religious cable television program, that he did not want his sons exposed to a "homosexual lifestyle".[14] Kilpatrick also faced some controversy, including reporting by the Detroit Free Press that he had solicited a $50,000 contribution to his Kilpatrick Civic Fund from the president of a tax-funded homeless shelter, as well as the management arm of the homeless shelter. The donation was used for voter education in advance of the November 2000 elections.[14]

Hill was better-known than Kilpatrick.[16]

For much of the campaign, Hill had a strong lead in polls.[12] He had held a strong lead in polls as early as May.[14] Polling, for much of the campaign, showed him to have massive leads over his competitors.[14] Hill was regarded as the clear front-runner until the last weeks of the primary campaign.[13] Contrarily, Killpatrick was, earlier in the campaign, seen as a long-shot, registering as low as 16% support in polls at one point.[13] Approximately a week prior to the election, a poll was released showing Kilpatrick with a 10% lead over Hill.[12] By the end of the primary campaign, Hill and Kilpatrick were well-established in recent polls as the front-runners to advance to the general election.[15]

In the lead up to the election, it was seen as the most energized primary since the 1973 mayoral election.[12] The primary, however, was overshadowed by the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States, which took place the same day.[12] Turnout for the primary wound up being one of the lowest in the city's history, with just 22% of eligible voters participating.[12][17]

Polls

Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample[lower-alpha 1] Margin
of error		 Charles
Beckham		 William C.
Brooks		 Gil
Hill		 Nicholas
Hood III		 Kwame
Kilpatrick		 Others Undecided
EPIC/MRA[18] June 19, 2001 300 ± 5.7% 4.6% 4.7% 37.4% 7.8% 22.5% – 23.0%
EPIC/MRA[18] May 7–10, 2001 300 ± 5.7% 3.7% 2.3% 49.7% 11.3% 16.0% 17.0%
EPIC/MRA[11] April 17–18, 2001 344 LV ± 5.3% 3% 2% 13% 9% 10% 43%[lower-alpha 2]

Results

Gil Hill and Kwame Kilpatrick were the top-two finishers, and therefore advanced to the general election.[14]

Kilpatrick received 51% of the vote, while Hill received 34% of the vote.[3] Turnout was 22%.[17]

Exit polling indicated that Kilpatrick ultimately led in support among most demographic groups. Hill, however, did lead with older voters.[12]

Kilpatrick's very strong performance was a surprise, while Hill was seen as underperforming.[17]

General election

Campaigning

While, due to his strong performance in the primary, Kilpatrick was initially seen as a very strong front-runner for the general election,[12] later polls began to show a close race in the general election.[3]

As in the primary, outgoing mayor Dennis Archer did not endorse either candidate.[3]

Polls

Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[lower-alpha 1]		 Margin
of error		 Gil
Hill		 Kwame
Kilpatrick		 Other Undecided
SurveyUSA[19] October 31–November 2, 2001 500 LV ±4.5% 47% 48% 5%
SurveyUSA[19] October 27–28, 2001 500 LV ±4.5% 42% 51% 7%
SurveyUSA[19] October 20–21, 2001 500 LV ±4.5% 42% 51% 7%
EPIC/MRA[13] September 11, 2001 400 39% 51% – 10%

Results

Kilpatrick defeated Hill 54% to 46%.[4]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. ↑ Geoffrey Fieger at 13%; Benny Napoleon at 12%; Sharon McPhail at 10%; Freman Hendrix at 8%

References

  1. ↑ Peters, Jeremy W. (November 10, 2005). "Turnaround Leads Mayor to a Surprising Victory (Published 2005)". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  2. ↑ "CNN.com - Detroit mayor won't seek re-election - April 17, 2001". www.cnn.com. CNN. April 7, 2001. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Kilpatrick appears to have won Detroit mayor's race". The Michigan Daily. The Associated Press. November 7, 2001. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "City Mayors: Kwame Kilpatrick - Mayor of Detroit". www.citymayors.com. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "DETROIT MAYOR". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. September 12, 2001. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  6. ↑ Massey, Patreice A. (July 31, 2018). "CHARLIE BECKHAM RETIRES AFTER FOUR DECADES OF PUBLIC SERVICE". The Michigan Chronicle. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  7. ↑ Ferretti, Christine (October 3, 2018). "Civil rights pioneer, executive William C. Brooks dies at 85". The Detroit News. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  8. ↑ Dudar, Hasan; Laitner, Bill (April 12, 2018). "Former Detroit judge, activist James Del Rio dies at age 94". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  9. ↑ Elrick, M.L. (August 20, 2001). "Auditor general is sure he can pull down waste". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  10. ↑ Hill, James G. (February 9, 2001). "COUNCIL MEMBER VYING FOR MAYOR". Detroit Free Press – via ProQuest.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "FIRST IMPRESSIONS". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. April 20, 2001. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Lessenberry, Jack (September 29, 2001). "Detroit's mayoral primary turned upside down". toledoblade.com. The Blade. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Hill, James G.; Elrick, M.L. (September 13, 2001). "13 Sep 2001". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Montemurri, Patricia; Hill, James G.; Elrick, M.L. (September 12, 2001). "MAYOR Voters pick Hill, Kilpatrick to face off in the November election". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  15. 1 2 Potts, Laura (September 11, 2001). "Detroit mayor not endorsing a candidate". Newspapers.com. The South Bend Tribune. The Associated Press. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  16. ↑ Montemurri, Patricia; Hill, James G.; Elrick, M.L. (September 12, 2001). "Somber mood overshadows primary win". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 Cain, Charlie; McConnell, Darci; Mercer, Tenisha (November 4, 2001). "Hill, Kilpatrick step up pace". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. The Detroit News. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  18. 1 2 "CORRECTED RESULTS". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. June 21, 2001.
  19. 1 2 3 "Race tightens". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. The Detroit News. November 4, 2001. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
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