JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi attorney and one-time civil rights activist who was involved in a black nationalist group decades ago has been elected mayor of Jackson, the state capital.
The Clarion-Ledger reported late Tuesday that Jackson City Councilman Chokwe Lumumba (SHOW-kway Lu-MOOM-bah) was elected mayor, receiving about 85 percent of the vote against three independent candidates.
He will succeed Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr., who finished third in this year’s Democratic primary.
Lumumba ran as a mainstream candidate who would represent all city voters. He defeated businessman Jonathan Lee in the Democratic primary runoff last month.
He wrote on Facebook Tuesday night, “Thank you, Jackson. None of this would be possible without faith and your support.”
He went on to say, “This is the people’s victory. Together we will make Jackson rise!”
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.