JANIE HAR, Associated Press 

6-14-18-ERNIE ALLEN’S-TOP STORY-

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco Supervisor London Breed emerged victorious Wednesday to become the city’s first African-American woman mayor after narrowly defeating a rival who was seeking to become the first openly gay man in the position.

It took eight days of counting after Election Day for Breed to build a large enough lead to claim the city’s top job. With about 250,000 ballots tallied, she led former state Sen. Mark Leno by 2,177 votes with only about 6,700 left to count.

Leno called Breed to congratulate her on the victory and later she appeared briefly before reporters and cheering supporters on the steps of City Hall. She said she was humbled, honored and looking forward to serving as mayor.

In particular, she relished the message her election sends to San Francisco’s youth, especially kids like herself who grew up poor.