AUSTIN, Texas — Lesbian Randi Shade won a seat on the Austin City Council Saturday, defeating incumbent Jennifer Kim with 64 percent of the vote to Kim's 27 percent. A third candidate, Ken Weiss, earned 9 percent, according to media reports. First-time candidate Shade, an 18-year resident of Austin, will be the Austin Council's first openly gay member. “I’m thrilled,” Shade told Texas media outlets. “I knew it would be an uphill battle to run against an incumbent. But we built a broad coalition of support, and I think people are ready for a change.” The campaign between Victory Fund-endorsed Shade and Kim became increasingly heated in the weeks leading up to the election, with both candidates launching strong offensives. Shade accused Kim of being ineffective and inaccessible. She also criticized the incumbent for spending money on things like velvet Christmas stockings and for sending misleading automated calls.
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