A former city official is tipped to become the first Chinese-American elected mayor of San Francisco, after first-round results put him in the lead Wednesday. Interim mayor Ed Lee won nearly 31 percent after voting Tuesday, ahead of second-placed city supervisor John Avalos with nearly 18 percent, and city attorney Dennis Herrera on 11 percent, results showed.
Under the city's "ranked-choice" voting system, in which voters choose their top three candidates, Lee has to garner 50 percent plus one vote to win. Since he did not, the votes of losing candidates are redistributed in a second round of counting. The final result could be known later Wednesday, but may take longer, depending on the redistribution of votes.
Vincent Pan, head of civil rights group Chinese for Affirmative Action, said Lee's likely election reflects the Chinese-American community's growing presence on the West Coast city's political scene. "In the last three years, we've gone from being under-represented to having more representation," Pan said.
"This is an important reflection point where the community has to appreciate how far we've come but also ask important questions about where we're going," he added. Lee was a little-known city administrator when he was appointed interim mayor in January this year by then-mayor Gavin Newsom, who was elected to state-wide office. Although popular, Lee has faced controversy since entering the race. On being appointed he pledged not to run for mayor, and angered other candidates when he changed his mind under pressure from political supporters.