In early results Tuesday night, Ed
Murray leads in the race against incumbent Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn,
making Murray a nearly sure bet to become Seattle's first openly gay
mayor.
According to the Seattle Post
Intelligencer, Murray was holding on to a 56 to 43 percent lead
over McGinn. The Seattle Times described McGinn's chances of
catching up to Murray as “a virtually impossible task.”
Without conceding to Murray, McGinn
acknowledged “this is a very, very deep hole to climb back from.”
With his husband Michael Shiosaki by
his side, Murray, 58, was upbeat as he addressed supporters on
Tuesday night.
“So I have to say, I know that not
all the ballots are counted, but if current trends continue … we
are here tonight to declare victory,” Murray said to enthusiastic
applause.
Last year, as state senator, Murray
authored the state's gay marriage law.
Murray's campaign highlighted the issue
throughout the campaign.
(Related: Ed
Murray touts efforts to win gay marriage in mayoral ad.)
If elected, Murray would join the ranks
of other openly gay city mayors such as Houston Mayor Annise Parker,
who
was re-elected to a third term on Tuesday.