JUST IN: Republican Defeats Liberal City’s Mayor In Shocking Landslide

A Republican city councilor in the liberal enclave of Pueblo, Colorado defeated her Democratic opponent on Tuesday in what turned out to be a comfortable victory and a referendum on the past five years of disappointing left-wing leadership.

Heather Graham declared victory after the first tally of votes showed her far ahead of incumbent Mayor Nick Gradisar, 14,171 to 8,355. While no official result will be recorded by the state’s Democratic secretary of state until February 1, the lopsided win was enough for the city council president to say she had seen enough.

“The first female mayor, that’s exciting … it’s been a long run. I’ve had lots of help along the way and I’m excited to carry this title for the next four years,” Graham told a local ABC affiliate. “I think that people have been dissatisfied with the leadership over the last five years and they’re ready for a change.”

“I’m surrounded by tons of citizens who had concerns that they brought to me and hopefully over the next four years, we’re able to do something about it,” she added.

Mayor Gradisar called Graham just minutes after the results to concede.

“Obviously the margin was so great that the remaining number of ballots weren’t going to make a difference. So I decided to concede and call Heather Graham to congratulate her on being the mayor-elect for the City of Pueblo,” Gradisar said.

“Our conversation was good. He congratulated me on the win and said he didn’t necessarily know it was going to end up like this. He said it’s hard work, which I know, and I’m looking forward to the challenges and the hard work that comes in the next four years,” Graham said.

Rises in crime and homelessness have plagued Pueblo no differently than many other left-wing cities across America, putting a strain on the city’s budgets and leaving voters irate that Gradisar had failed to deliver solutions after five years.

“But obviously there are no simple solutions to the problems of crime and homelessness or that would have been done by now. My opponent did a good job of identifying the problems, identifying the issues, but that’s the cheapest trick in politics, to identify that without offering any solutions. So we’ll see what solutions are going to be put forth,” Gradisar said.

The Democrat took the high road, encouraging his supporters to rally around the incoming mayor and ensure a continuity of leadership and city services.

“We have to be ready to rally behind the mayor. We don’t have any choice. She’s going to be the mayor for the next four years. I think there’s some other issues this community is going to face and this country is going to face that people need to get involved in. As I told my supporters earlier, it’s incumbent on each of us as individuals, our democracy is at stake in this country,” Gradisar said.

Graham, a small business owner first elected to city council in 2021, rode into office on a high profile from leading protests in response to the city’s Covid lockdown policies. The two-term president said she is looking forward to delivering on her campaign commitments.

“Our vision for Pueblo is a city where all residents feel safe and supported,” Graham said. “As your next mayor, I’m committed to leading Pueblo towards a brighter future, working alongside all of you to create a safer, stronger city.”

“I’m most looking forward to taking the concerns of the constituents and actually providing solutions to the problems that they’re having,” Graham said.