The Bilerico Project | Daily experiments in LGBTQ

Moments ago, Craig Lowe got the most votes in the race for mayor of Gainesville and could become the first ever gay mayor of a North Florida city.

Equality Florida Action PAC supporters contributed thousands of dollars and months of volunteer hours to help ensure victory. In a race decided by a razor thin margin our volunteers, donors and staff members were on the ground in Gainesville fighting every step of the way.

Alachua County election law requires an automatic recount in elections decided by less than 0.5%.

We'll monitor the process and keep you updated.

In the weeks leading up to today's election, anti-gay extremists used homophobic rhetoric and smear tactics to try to keep Craig from winning. A local church even posted a "No Homo Mayor" billboard on their front lawn.

Craig Lowe sent a special thanks to the entire Equality Team for helping make this
victory possible:

I would like to thank Equality Florida Action PAC for their tremendous help in my race. Not only did they endorse my candidacy early on, they also served as a watchdog against the lies about my campaign and put people on the ground to help get our message out to voters.

--Mayor Elect Craig Lowe

Craig Lowe was the most qualified candidate in this race. His record as a Gainesville City Commissioner brought him the endorsements of Equality Florida Action PAC, the Gainesville Professional Firefighters' Association, the African American Coalition for Political Action, the influential Alligator Newspaper and the North Florida Human Rights Council, among others.