In the lead

What an amazing night!

When I first got into this race for mayor, folks didn’t think I had a chance. I was behind by double digits and it didn’t seem like we’d ever be able to overcome the gap.

But we succeeded for one simple reason: You.

And while they are still counting late absentee ballots down at the Registrar’s office, we lead 51% to 49%, a margin that was steady as new ballots came in last night. There are many more ballots to be counted, but we have every reason to believe this lead will hold up.

Thanks to your support, your hard work, your dedication and faith, we beat the odds.

Now it’s time to move forward and start uniting around common-sense solutions that will make San José safer and stronger. Because as tough as this campaign was, making continued progress for our city will be tougher. We are facing serious challenges – from rebuilding our police force to addressing our homelessness problem to creating economic opportunity and middle-class jobs for more families.

Today I’ll be reaching out to community leaders from every neighborhood in our city. I’m rolling up my sleeves and getting to work on our plan to make San José safer and stronger through smarter government. But first, I want to take this moment to thank you again – without you, this would not be possible.

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