San Diego Goes Republican
- A winning message of social tolerance combined with being anti-tax, anti-regulation and strongly pro-business.
An anti-tax Republican city councilman has been elected mayor of San Diego in a special election to fill the unexpired term of Bob Filner, who resigned amid a torrent of sexual harassment allegations.
San Diego becomes the nation's largest city with a Republican mayor, and Kevin Faulconer will be the only Republican to lead a major city in California, where Democrats hold all statewide offices. Filner was San Diego's first Democratic leader in 20 years.
With all precincts reporting, the two-term councilman and former public relations executive led Democratic Councilman David Alvarez by 54.5 percent to 45.5 percent reports ABC News.
Faulconer, who was backed by Filner's two-term Republican predecessor, Jerry Sanders, highlighted his opposition to a 2010 ballot measure to raise the sales tax, which lost resoundingly, and his support for a 2012 measure to cut pensions for city workers, which passed overwhelmingly. Alvarez backed the losing sides.
Faulconer's win comes as the nation's eighth-largest city turns more Democratic. Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney by 25 percentage points among city voters, and Democrats enjoy a 13-point advantage over Republicans among registered city voters.
Faulconer easily topped a field of 11 candidates in the first round by dominating in newer, wealthier neighborhoods north of Interstate 8. Alvarez secured a spot in Tuesday's runoff by cleaning up south of the freeway in more densely populated, predominantly Latino areas.
“Faulconer won the race not because he was moderate, but because he carried himself as the adult in the race,” said Jon Fleischman, publisher of the GOP-oriented Flashreport. “He’s certainly a moderate on social issues. But he’s anti-tax, anti-regulation. He’s strongly pro-business. …”
(San Diego Untion Tribune)
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| San Diego voted for Obama in a landslide but has now elected a Republican Mayor. |
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