Former State Rep. Yousef Rabhi declared victory over incumbent Christopher Taylor in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary for Ann Arbor mayor.
At around midnight, Rabhi had 57.4% of the vote, according to unofficial totals posted by the Washtenaw County Clerk's office.
Rabhi, a former state lawmaker and current Washtenaw County commissioner, thanked supporters "for being part of this effort to take Ann Arbor back for the people,"at a watch party that was captured by MLive. He ran on a platform of calling for housing affordability measures, as well as supporting the opening of a municipally owned electric substation in the community.
Taylor conceded the race, CBS Detroit reported.
Taylor has been mayor in Ann Arbor since 2014, having served three terms
on the city council before that. In Ann Arbor's city council system, the mayor has an equal vote on the council along with other members but is a figurehead for the board's decisions. He opposed the plan for a municipally owned electric utility, saying the costs to build new energy infrastructure from scratch "would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and require a decade of multi-million dollar litigation before it even got started" on his campaign website.
Rabhi's win is a notch for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party — he touted endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, progressive Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and the Working Families Party. Taylor packed notable endorsements of his own from moderate Democrats, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly.
Coreen Uhl voted for Rahbi. The Ann Arbor resident and local high school teacher said the former state lawmaker earned her vote in part with his stance on a marquee issue in the city: affordable housing.
"I feel like in Ann Arbor there's been a lot of debate about housing development and affordable housing. I like what Yousef has had to say about the importance of affordable housing, the importance of keeping Ann Arbor affordable, helping people like teachers and other middle-class individuals be able to still live here," said Uhl, 42.
"I also like his stances on making sure we continue to protect the beautiful nature that we have here and that we have access to in the city."
Angela Zell, a 45-year-old flight attendant and Ann Arbor resident, felt very confident about voting for Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. But she thought the race for Ann Arbor mayor was a tougher call.
"I'll probably go Yousef, I'm not 100% sure," Zell said just after noon on Tuesday. She acknowledged following races for national office a little closer than Ann Arbor seats, but she's tried to read more about local politics in recent years.
Ultimately, she said she likely wouldn't know who to pick until the final moment.
"It's probably going to be a gut thing when I go in," she said.
There isn't a Republican candidate in the race, so Rabhi will likely run unopposed in November.
You can reach Arpan Lobo at alobo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Yousef Rabhi claims victory in Ann Arbor mayor election
