London Breed has emerged victorious to become San Francisco'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 US city's top job.
With about 250,000 ballots tallied, she led former state Senator Mark Leno by 2177 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, honoured and relished the message her election sends to San Francisco's youth, especially kids like herself who grew up poor.
"No matter where you come from, no matter what you decide to do in life, you can do anything you want to do," she said. "Never let your circumstances determine your outcome in life."
Breed, who will take office next month, is the second woman to be elected mayor in San Francisco history. The other was US Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Breed, 43, vowed to be mayor for all of San Francisco, a message she repeated throughout her bid to lead a city that is economically thriving but mired in homelessness, congestion and unaffordable homes.
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