2006 Richmond, California city election
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The Richmond, California 2006 city election decided the mayor, four council members, and one measure submitted to the voters of Richmond, California on November 7, 2007. The election also elected the first Green Party mayor of this city, and made Richmond the largest city in the United States to have a Green mayor. Furthermore, it unseated an incumbent mayor from a major political party by one from a minor third party.
The mayor's race was a three-way contest between incumbent mayor Irma A. Anderson, former council member Gary Bell (both Democrats), and council member Gayle McLaughlin, a Green. In 2004, McLaughlin had become the first member of the Green Party to win a seat on the Richmond city council. This is attributed to her door-to-door campaigning and the fact that ballots for Richmond city offices do not mention political party. McLaughlin won with 37.2 percent of the votes, followed by Anderson with 36.1 and Gary Bell 26.1. becoming the first Green mayor of a major California city (a feat nearly achieved by Matt González in the 2004 San Francisco mayoral election). Those who decided to vote by mail had to pay an additional US$.63 instead of having it mailed for free as is the custom.
McLaughlin was endorsed by councils and local chapters of several labor unions including: the AFSCME, International Union, and SEIU. Organizations such as the Sierra Club, local Green Parties, Richmond Greens, Alameda County Greens, Contra Costa County Greens, and political groups such as the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), the Richmond Progressive Alliance were among McLaughlin's supporters.
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