San Francisco Interim Mayor Lee Declares Himself Victor

SAN FRANCISCO – Interim Mayor Ed Lee is poised to become San Francisco's first elected Asian-American mayor.

With some 85 percent of the vote counted in the mayoral race, Lee soared ahead with 61 percent of the tally.

The city's elections department says City Supervisor John Avalos is trailing far behind, with about 39 percent of the vote. But election officials aren't officially calling the race over. The department still must tabulate more votes.

Voters had been waiting since Tuesday for results. Because Lee did not have more than 50 percent after the first count, the city's ranked-choice system kicked in. That allowed voters' second and third choice candidates to be counted as well.