SAN DIEGO February 12, 2014 (AP)
By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press
A moderate Republican city councilman scored a decisive win in the election for San Diego mayor, offering a dose of good news for a party that has fared poorly in California and in races to lead major American cities.
Kevin Faulconer, 47, said Wednesday that his emphasis on working across party lines and his embrace of fiscal measures such as cutting pensions for city workers and putting more city services up for private bidding led to his surprisingly large margin of victory.
The two-term councilman and former public relations executive led Democratic Councilman David Alvarez by
54.5 percent to 45.5 percent with all precincts reporting.
San Diego becomes the nation's largest city with a Republican mayor and Faulconer is the only Republican to lead a major city in California, where Democrats hold all statewide offices.
"The themes of inclusion, of bringing everyone together, of reform and making changes are themes that will resonate not just here in San Diego but in other cities across the country," Faulconer said.
He will fill the unexpired term of Bob Filner, 71, who was elected San Diego's first Democratic leader in 20 years in 2012 but resigned after less than nine months in office amid a torrent of sexual harassment allegations. Filner, a former 10-term congressman, pleaded guilty in October to one felony count of false imprisonment and two misdemeanor counts of battery and began a three-month sentence of home confinement on Jan. 1.
Alvarez, 33, and groups supporting him — mainly organized labor — outspent Faulconer and his largely pro-business allies by about $1 million. Faulconer sought to turn that to his advantage by relentlessly portraying Alvarez as a tool for labor unions.
"Our tracking polls showed that Alvarez's union ties were devastating," said Faulconer pollster John Nienstedt. "We morphed it into an anchor on him."
Faulconer's win comes as the nation's eighth-largest city turns more Democratic.
President 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.
Unlike Filner, Alvarez was unable to ride the coattails of a popular president. Turnout in the special election was 43 percent.
Faulconer played down his party affiliation throughout the campaign and cast himself as an even-keeled consensus-builder.
"It was a big and convincing win for a Republican in a decidedly blue city," said Nienstedt, president of Competitive Edge Research & Communication. "That happens when you have a Kevin Faulconer Republican running — an inclusive, caring, moderate gentleman, not a table-pounding man or woman."
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http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/republican-takes-lead-race-san-diego-mayor-22473765
