Charlotte, N.C. elects Vi Lyles as its first African-American mayor

On Tuesday, the United States ushered in several firsts with the results of their local elections. One of these firsts is North Carolina’s Vi Lyles – Charlotte’s first African American mayor, according to the Charlotte Observer. Democrat Lyles, in a state that has historically voted Republican, won with 58 percent of the votes and defeated her Republican opponent, Kenny Smith.

In a time of much political and social divisiveness in the United States, Lyles centred her campaign on a platform of economic and social justice, and pledged to repair the relationship between Charlotte’s citizens and its police force and increasing the city’s minimum wage to a more liveable $15 an hour.

“With this opportunity you’ve given me, you’ve proven that we are a city of opportunity and inclusiveness,” Lyle shared in her acceptance speech.

You’ve proven that a woman whose father didn’t graduate from high school can become this city’s first female African-American mayor.”

Other landmark results include the election of the first Sikh mayor of New Jersey, Hoboken’s Councilman Ravi Bhalla, and of Virginia’s first openly trans lawmaker, Danica Roem. The Democratic Party also emerged victorious in a sweep of Virginia’s state-wide elections, the New Jersey governorship, and the New Hampshire mayoral office.

Ayan Goran