NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Megan Barry made history Thursday night when she was elected as Nashville's first female mayor.
Barry carried 55 percent of the vote against her opponent, David Fox. In her victory speech, she said she spoke with Fox over the phone, and both agreed to work together to better Nashville.
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The tone of the night was set early on with early votes pushing her to a decent lead. There was a concern about voter turnout due to an issue at an East Nashville polling location, but in the end Barry secured the win.
The atmosphere could only be described as electric as she addressed her thousands of supporters at the Farmer's market.
“You, the Nashville voters, this one is going to go down in the history books,” she said before a crowd of supporters. “This one is all about the fact that today you went to the polls and you elected the first woman mayor.”
The 51-year-old mayor elect spent time personally thanking voters and was bombarded by supporters.
Barry said she will keep her promises but said her first goal as mayor is to hire a new superintendent, and create a diverse board she said will reflect the city of Nashville.
"We get sworn in on the [September] 25th, so our focus for the next 15 days is putting together our transition team, so that we can walk in and be off to the races on day one," she said.
Barry had a number of notable supporters in the crowd, including former mayoral candidate, Howard Gentry.
After losing in the General Election, the criminal court clerk endorsed Barry. He said her win is something for which the city should be proud.
"It's not a big step for Nashville, it's a leap. Anytime that you can come out of a situation like this race turned into and have such a historic ending it's just huge," he said.
Fox gave his concession speech around 9 p.m. when Barry had taken an overwhelming lead. He thanked the voters, his supporters, and those behind his campaign.
"I have no regrets. We left it all on the field, we ran an aggressive campaign, and I couldn't be prouder of you and our city than I am right now," he told his supporters.
Fox congratulated and offered his support to Barry, saying he would not "hesitate to help Megan [Barry] be the most successful mayor we've ever had."
Former mayor Karl Dean released a statement Thursday night congratulating Barry on the win.
“I want to congratulate Megan Barry on her election to be Nashville’s next mayor. This is a great city and a great job, and Megan is more than capable of leading Nashville to its next plateau. I always say that Nashville’s best days are still ahead of it, and I have no doubts about that.
I also want to thank David Fox and all the other candidates who campaigned for the chance to serve and lead our city for the next four years. I know the people of Nashville appreciated having so many qualified candidates in this election.”
Voting got underway at 7 a.m. as residents headed to the polls. Barry cast her ballot at the Curb Event Center at Belmont University, while Fox voted at the West End Fire Hall.
Both candidates spent much of Wednesday urging people to go out and vote in a race that's expected to be very close. (Read More: Mayoral Candidates Make Last Minute Push For Votes)
The campaign was marked by heavy partisanship and negative advertising.
Barry cast herself as the strong progressive voice in the race, while hedge fund manager Fox touted his fiscal conservatism.
Metro council also broke record with 15 women elected to the board. There were 11 previously. This was also the first time having two minority women in the council at large. (To learn more about the Metro Council races, click here)
The inauguration has been set for September 25.
