| Election Name: | 1996 San Diego mayoral election |
| Flag Image: | Flag of San Diego, California.svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1992 San Diego mayoral election |
| Previous Year: | 1992 |
| Next Election: | 2000 San Diego mayoral election |
| Next Year: | 2000 |
| Nominee1: | Susan Golding |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 157,385 |
| Percentage1: | 78.3% |
| Nominee2: | Jim Bell |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 12,853 |
| Percentage2: | 6.4% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Susan Golding |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Susan Golding |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 1996 San Diego mayoral election was held on Tuesday, March 26, 1996, to elect the mayor for San Diego. Incumbent mayor Susan Golding stood for reelection.
Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, though some candidates do receive funding and support from various political parties.[1] The non-partisan primary was held Tuesday, March 26, 1996. Since the incumbent Golding received a majority of primary votes, she was reelected outright with no need for a runoff in the November general election.
Incumbent mayor Susan Golding was seen as an overwhelming favorite going into the election against five relatively unknown candidates with little prior political experience. She refused to participate in debates against her five challengers.[3] On March 26, 1996, Golding received an overwhelming majority of the votes and was easily re-elected mayor.[4]
Because Golding won a majority of the votes in the March primary, there was no need for a runoff in the November general election.