London Breed, the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, will be the city's next mayor after eight days of ballot-counting all but eliminated rival candidate Mark Leno, who conceded the race Wednesday afternoon. As of Wednesday, Breed led Leno by 2,177 votes with only about 6,700 left to count. Breed, 43, will become San Francisco's first black female mayor and the city's second female mayor, after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.); San Francisco will become the largest U.S. city currently led by a woman. Leno would have been San Francisco's first openly gay mayor. All three frontrunners were Democrats.
Breed briefly took over as mayor when Mayor Ed Lee (D) died of a heart attack in December, but a month later, her board colleagues gave the job instead to interim Mayor Mark Farrell. On Wednesday, Farrell offered his "sincere congratulations to Mayor-elect London Breed on her election victory." Breed, who was raised in San Francisco public housing by her grandmother, said "the message that this sends to the next generation of young people growing up in this city is that no matter where you come from, no matter what you decide to do in life, you can do anything you want to do."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Incendiary device plot: Russia's 'rehearsals' for attacks on transatlantic flightsThe Explainer Security officials warn of widespread Moscow-backed 'sabotage campaign' in retaliation for continued Western support for Ukraine
-
Outer Hebrides: a top travel destinationThe Week Recommends Discover 'unspoiled beauty' of the Western Isles
-
The Biltmore Mayfair review: a quintessential slice of luxury LondonThe Week Recommends This swanky retreat in Grosvenor Square blends old-world glamour with modern comforts
-
Moldova's pro-West president wins 2nd termSpeed Read Maia Sandu beat Alexandr Stoianoglo, despite suspicions of Russia meddling in the election
-
2024 race ends with swing state barnstormingSpeed Read Kamala Harris and Donald Trump held rallies in battlegrounds over the weekend
-
North Korea tests ICBM, readies troops in UkraineSpeed Read Thousands of North Korean troops are likely to join Russian action against Ukraine
-
Women take center stage in campaign finaleSpeed Read Harris and Trump are trading gender attacks in the final days before the election
-
US election: who the billionaires are backingThe Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
-
Supreme Court allows purge of Virginia voter rollsSpeed Read Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is purging some 1,600 people from state voter rolls days before the election
-
'Empowered' Steve Bannon released from prisonSpeed Read Bannon was set free a week before Election Day and quickly returned to his right-wing podcast to promote Trump
-
Canada accuses top Modi ally of directing Sikh attacksSpeed Read Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was allegedly behind a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists
