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How Sharon Weston Broome earned 57% of votes in Saturday's runoff
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BATON ROUGE - When over 100,000 East Baton Rouge Parish (EBR) voters cast ballots in Saturday's mayoral runoff election, most voters were in support of Sharon Weston Broome.
Broome bested Steve Carter by amassing 57% of votes while Carter garnered support from 43% of voters.
Political analyst Clay Young says Broome's win was an indication that her vision for Baton Rouge resonated with locals, moving them to take action by either enthusiastically supporting her or making sure to vote against her.
Young observed that one way or the other, Broome's campaign sparked intense feelings among EBR Parish's voters, something that voters in other communities didn't seem to have amid the stress of the pandemic.
"I think that there was a sense of apathy among Republicans in some places, looking at the low turnout," Young told WBRZ. "And her vote was motivating. People were either going to the polls because they believed in her and they supported her or they were going to vote against her."
"The mayor was able to coalesce African American and moderate votes around her. And her base turned out in areas they needed to turn out," Young added.
Meanwhile, Broome thanked voters for their support in a Saturday night acceptance speech. She highlighted her administration's focus on unity and community collaboration on projects designed to improve the city's roads, economy, and health care needs.
She'll begin her second term as EBR's Mayor by continuing to focus on these aspects of local government in addition to actively fighting the city's escalating crime rate. She also mentioned taking steps to rebuild aspects of the city-parish's functioning that had been weakened by the pandemic.
But above all, Broome highlighted her determination to promote unity among the area's diverse population. She emphasized her aim to ensure that citizens of various political, racial, and cultural backgrounds would have a voice in local government.
"Under our administration, I want you to know that every resident -and let me repeat that- every resident of Baton Rouge will continue to be represented. No one will be forgotten," Broome said during her acceptance speech. "We have so much more to do and I am excited, and I'm humbled, to roll up my sleeves, put the politics behind us and get back to work."
Nearly 65,000 EBR Parish voters supported Broome during Saturday's runoff election. Carter, likewise, offered Broome his congratulations and support as she returned to her role as mayor.
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