2003 Allegheny County Executive election
November 4, 2003
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Pennsylvania |
|---|
| Government |
The 2003 Allegheny County Executive election was held on November 4, 2003. Incumbent Jim Roddey, the first elected County Executive, ran for re-election to a second term. He was challenged by County Controller Dan Onorato, the Democratic nominee. Onorato defeated Roddey by a wide margin, winning his first term as County Executive with 57 percent of the vote.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Dan Onorato, County Controller[1]
Declined
- Jack Wagner, State Senator[2]
- Cyril Wecht, County Coroner, 1999 Democratic nominee for County Executive[3]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dan Onorato | 100,780 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 100,780 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Jim Roddey, incumbent County Executive[5]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Roddey (inc.) | 43,135 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 43,135 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Dan Onorato (D) |
Jim Roddey (R) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[6] | October 30 – November 1, 2003 | 566 (CV) | ± 4.2% | 54% | 42% | 4% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dan Onorato | 200,201 | 57.48% | |
| Republican | Jim Roddey (inc.) | 146,914 | 42.18% | |
| Write-in | 1,197 | 0.34% | ||
| Total votes | 348,312 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
Notes
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
CV – certain voters
V – unclear
References
- ^ O'Toole, James; Cohan, Jeffrey (February 8, 2003). "Onorato in executive's race". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. D1. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ O'Toole, James (January 26, 2003). "Wagner passes on run for exec". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. A13. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Cohan, Jeffrey (December 6, 2002). "Wecht won't run for county exec". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. B15. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ a b "Allegheny County Official Election Results". Allegheny County Elections Division. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ O'Toole, James (January 28, 2003). "Roddey starts re-election bid". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. B1. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ "Allegheny Voters Dump Roddey, Elect Dem Onorato County Exec" (PDF). November 4, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 12, 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "Allegheny County Official Election Results". Allegheny County Elections Division. Archived from the original on November 25, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2025.