Seattle Elects Gay Mayor

Openly gay state Sen. Ed Murray was elected mayor of Seattle yesterday.

State Sen. Ed Murray’s promise of a more collaborative leadership style carried him to victory Tuesday night, as voters signaled they were fed up with four years of Mayor Mike McGinn’s political brawls. Murray grabbed a commanding 56 percent of the votes counted on election night, compared with 43 percent for McGinn. At a jubilant party at Neumos on Capitol Hill, Murray took the stage before 9 p.m. to cheers and hugs from supporters, including a pack of elected leaders who’d endorsed him. Signaling the change in tone he hopes to bring to City Hall, Murray said his campaign “was energized by the belief that Seattle can show the nation that government can work once again.