The Latest: Memphis voters choose mayor for another term

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Latest on the election for mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. (all times local):

9:45 p.m.

Incumbent Jim Strickland will get another four years to lead Memphis, Tennessee, after a big victory in the city’s race for mayor.

Strickland led by a wide margin late Thursday, with results still trickling in. Strickland’s two main opponents, Willie Herenton and Tami Sawyer, have conceded the race to Strickland.

The 55-year-old Strickland was a City Council member before he was elected in 2015 as the first white mayor in nearly 25 years in the majority-black city.

During his tenure, he has helped lure economic development and defied the Tennessee legislature to help remove Confederate-era statues from city parks.

Strickland greatly outdistanced his opponents in fundraising, though he did not win the endorsement of the city’s fire and police unions.

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3:01 p.m.

Voters in Memphis, Tennessee, are deciding who will lead the city for the next four years as they cast ballots in a contentious mayor’s race.

Polls close at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the non-partisan race for mayor in this Mississippi River city.

The contest pits three leading contenders. Incumbent Mayor Jim Strickland is trying to fend off a challenge from Willie Herenton and Tami Sawyer.

Herenton was the city’s first black elected mayor when he won in 1991. He has been out of politics since a failed run for Congress in 2010.

Sawyer is a social activist who currently serves as a Shelby County commissioner.

In a majority black city, experts say winning the African American vote is key. Strickland is white. Herenton and Sawyer are black.