Republican takes lead in race for San Diego mayor
Feb 12, 2014, 4:22 AM
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Republican City Councilman Kevin Faulconer has taken a larger-than-expected lead in early returns to elect a mayor of San Diego to replace Bob Filner, who resigned amid a torrent of sexual harassment allegations.
A tally of mail-in ballots released after polls closed Tuesday shows Faulconer with a commanding lead over Democratic Councilman David Alvarez _ 57 percent to 43 percent.
Faulconer was expected to do well on mail-in ballots, making Election Day turnout crucial for Alvarez.
If Faulconer’s lead holds, San Diego would be the nation’s largest city with a Republican mayor. Alvarez would be the city’s first Latino mayor and keep Democrats in an office that Filner won in 2012 after a 20-year absence for the party.
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