HOUSTON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Mayor Lee Brown appeared headed for a narrow victory over City Councilman Orlando Sanchez Saturday in his bid for re-election in the nation's fourth largest city.
With nearly 95 percent of the vote counted, Brown had 155,760 votes, or 51 percent, and Sanchez 151,879, or 49 percent, according to unofficial returns.
Brown overcame an early lead by Sanchez and appeared headed for victory late Saturday night in one of the most watched mayoral races in the country this year. The runoff pitted the city's first black mayor against a Cuban-American in a contest charged with racial politics.
Sanchez, 44, was endorsed by President George W. Bush and his father, although Houston municipal elections are officially nonpartisan. The Republican party also pumped money into the campaign of the conservative three-term councilman.
Brown, a Democrat, also received support from his party in seeking a third two-year term. Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe campaigned last week with the mayor in an Hispanic neighborhood. In 1997 campaign, Brown was endorsed by former President Clinton in his first bid for mayor.
Brown and Sanchez were paired in the runoff when they outpolled four other candidates Nov. 6. Each failed to win enough votes to take the office outright, forcing Saturday's showdown.
The Houston mayor's race was closely watched nationally to see what impact the rising number of Hispanic voters in the city would have on the outcome. Sanchez was expected to run strong in the Latino community and he would be the city's first Hispanic mayor.
The Hispanic population has been on the rise for the past decade in the city of 1.9 million people. Latinos make up about 37 percent of the city's population, whites about 32 percent, and blacks 25 percent. Only 10 years ago, Hispanics made up only about 27 percent of the population and whites about 42 percent.
The 64-year-old Brown's power base is the city's black neighborhoods and he was expected to get 99 percent of that vote, according to Dr. Richard Murray, a political science professor at the University of Houston. He expected Sanchez to get about 70 percent of the Latino vote.
Houston is the third major city where Hispanic mayoral candidates have sought election this year. In New York, Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer lost a close Democratic runoff in October and in California former Assembly speaker Antonio Villaraigosa was defeated in the Los Angeles general election in June.
During the campaign, Brown stressed his experience as mayor for the past four years and his career in law enforcement. Before his election at Houston mayor, he served as police chief in Houston, Atlanta and New York, as well as drug czar during the Clinton administration.
Sanchez was critical of Brown's administrative skills, charging that he spent more city revenue but failed to improve city services. He also attacked Brown's leadership skills and alleged that crime went up during his administration as police chief in the three cities.
{Reported by Phil Magers in Dallas)
