Long Beach Elects First Black Mayor

Long Beach City Councilmember Suzie Price has conceded the Long Beach mayor’s race, leaving Vice Mayor Rex Richardson as the uncontested winner.

Richardson will be the city’s first Black mayor. He succeeds incoming congressman Robert Garcia, who was Long Beach's first Latino and first openly gay mayor. Both Garcia and the Democratic Party endorsed Richardson in the race. 

Richardson is up by 8,166 votes with 55.29% of the vote, compared to Price’s 44.71%.

Richardson has represented the city’s 9th District since 2014 when he became the youngest person elected to the City Council. He had previously worked as a labor organizer in South LA and then served as chief of staff to Councilmember Steven Neal. In 2016, he became the city’s youngest vice mayor and was reelected to the council two years later.

“The city is special and ... not often you hear stories like mine, where someone can come here as a young man, become the youngest City Council member, become the youngest vice mayor … and break barriers as the first African American mayor,” Richardson told the Los Angeles Times. “Long Beach is a special city like that.”  

“I wish him nothing but success on the journey ahead,” said Price in a statement.

Image Credit: City of Long Beach