San Francisco elects first black female mayor

London Breed triumphed over fellow Democrat Mark Leno

Incoming mayor London Breed smiles while speaking at an elementary school in San Francisco (AP)

San Francisco has elected its first female, African-American mayor after a bruising intra-Democrat campaign focused on housing.

Board of Supervisors president London Breed triumphed over former state Sen Mark Leno, with Mr Leno conceding he could not make up a deficit as votes continued to be counted more than a week after the election.

Soaring housing costs and a ubiquitous homeless crisis dominated the race, which was spurred by the sudden death of former mayor Ed Lee. Ms Breed vowed to make building more housing a centerpiece of her agenda.

But the historic nature of Ms Breed’s candidacy lent another dimension to the campaign to lead a city that has long prided itself on diversity and tolerance even as accelerating gentrification drives out residents of colour.

A San Francisco native, Ms Breed rose from an impoverished childhood in public housing to a career in politics. She was first elected to the board of supervisors in 2012 and became the body’s president in 2015.

“No matter where you come from, no matter what you decide to do in life, you can do anything you want to do,” Ms Breed said after he victory. “Never let your circumstances determine your outcome in life.”

Even if Ms Breed had not prevailed, the outcome would have been historic: Mr Leno was trying to become the first openly gay mayor of a city that has long been a bastion of LGBT life and that was a cradle of the gay rights movement.

It has been an historic year for African-American women in politics, with Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams becoming the first black female gubernatorial candidate for either major party.