San Francisco elects first African-American woman as mayor
San Francisco: San Francisco has elected its first African-American woman mayor after she narrowly defeated a rival who was seeking to become the first openly gay man in the position.
London Breed emerged victorious Wednesday after eight days of counting after Election Day.
With about 250,000 ballots tallied, she led former state Senator Mark Leno by 2177 votes with only about 6700 left to count when he conceded.
Breed, 43, said she was humbled, honoured and looking forward to serving as mayor.
In particular, she relished the message her election sends to San Francisco's youth, especially kids like herself who grew up poor.
"No matter where you come from, no matter what you decide to do in life, you can do anything you want to do," she said. "Never let your circumstances determine your outcome in life."
Breed, who will take office next month, is the second woman to be elected mayor in San Francisco history. The other was US Senator Dianne Feinstein.
AP