Voters in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday
elected Jane Castor as their next mayor, making her the city's first
openly lesbian mayor.
Castor won by a landslide. According to
local reports, she received 72.5 percent of the vote. Her opponent,
philanthropist David Straz, received 27.5 percent of the vote.
Castor, the city's former police chief,
had the endorsement of the Victory Fund, which supports LGBT
candidates.
“Both LGBTQ people and women face
tremendous obstacles in running for public office, but Jane’s
victory shows lesbian candidates can win citywide office with a
strong record of public service and policy priorities that align with
their constituents,” Victory Fund CEO Annise Parker said in a
statement. “While voters chose Jane because of her vision for
Tampa, her willingness to be open and honest about her life lent her
an authenticity that voters are drawn to not just in Tampa, but
across the nation.”
Earlier this month, voters in Chicago
and Madison, Wisconsin elected out lesbian mayors.
(Related: Lori
Lightfoot makes history as Chicago's first openly lesbian, black
woman mayor.)