Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson has conceded to challenger Suzanne LaFrance in the city’s runoff mayoral election.
“As I transition out of office, I am committed to ensuring a smooth transition to Mayor-Elect LaFrance and her team,” Bronson said in a statement Thursday.
His concession comes two days after LaFrance declared victory in the May 14 election. The most recent results show that LaFrance captured roughly 54 percent of the vote to Bronson’s 46 percent. Almost 80,000 votes have been counted.
In his statement, Bronson highlighted several accomplishments over his three-year term, including securing funding for the Don Young Port of Alaska, providing pay raises for the Anchorage Police Department and working to address the looming natural gas shortage in Southcentral Alaska.
“While there were challenges, setbacks, and even disagreements along the way, I am grateful for the dedication and hard work my administration put into serving the residents of Anchorage,” Bronson said.
LaFrance is set to be sworn in as Anchorage’s first elected female mayor on July 1.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
