Landslide win for lesbian former police chief as Tampa mayor

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Landslide win for lesbian former police chief as Tampa mayor

Associated Press | Wednesday, April 24, 2019 10:17 a.m.

Tampa Mayor-elect Jane Castor speaks to supporters at The Vault in Tampa, Fla. In a historic election Tampa voters elected by a wide margin for Castor, a former police chief and openly-gay woman to be their mayor.

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa’s openly gay former police chief has been elected its mayor in a landslide victory.

Voters elected 59-year-old Jane Castor in a runoff against 76-year-old retired banker and philanthropist David Stratz.

Castor said her victory with more than 73% of the 53,144 votes cast on Tuesday sends “a resounding message that Tampa is a positive community.”

Castor is Tampa’s first openly gay mayor-elect. She had come within 2 percentage points of winning the March 5 general election.

Stratz spent nearly $5 million on his campaign. He told his supporters it’s now time to rally around the new mayor. Both are Democrats.

Castor succeeds outgoing Mayor Bob Buckhorn in the non-partisan office.

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