LAS VEGAS — Carolyn Goodman, the wife of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, will be the next mayor of Sin City after winning 61 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election.
The first lady won a race that pitted the Goodman brand against a longtime elected official whose eagerness and grass roots campaign weren't enough to overtake the popularity of the self-proclaimed Happiest Couple in the Universe.
Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani finished with roughly 22,000 votes to Carolyn Goodman's roughly 33,000 votes. She called the first lady to concede as early results offered little hope for her campaign.
"Her intentions were good," Carolyn Goodman said in her victory speech of her rival. "She wanted the best for the city but I believe we wanted more."
Oscar Goodman is a former mob lawyer who presided over the city with a force of charisma and a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin at his side. He was banned from a fourth term because of term limits.
He endorsed his wife for mayor and campaigned tirelessly for her. The couple celebrated their 49th anniversary Monday.
The mayor-elect thanked her husband in her victory speech, calling him every woman's ideal.
He returned the praise.
"Tonight I am the luckiest man on the Earth," he told a cheering crowd at his wife's victory party seconds after she spoke. "The city of Las Vegas is so fortunate to have someone like my wife lead the next four years. She is so special, she is so honest, she is so decent, she is so wonderful, that all she wants to see is that this city goes to the next level."
Carolyn Goodman easily won the April primary against 17 rivals and polls predicted she would succeed on Election Day, as well.
"That's very exciting news for me," she told The Associated Press soon after early voting and mail ballot results showed she would likely end the night in celebration.
In contrast, it was always an underdog fight for Giunchigliani, who squeaked through the primary with a mere 15-vote advantage over the third-place finisher.
She was also out-funded.
With her husband's rolodex, Carolyn Goodman built a $1.44 million campaign fund and spent nearly $600,000 to advertise a name most Las Vegans revere. She splashed her face across billboards, TV spots and poker chips.
Giunchigliani raised $1.19 million.
"We didn't lose tonight," she told supporters in a concession speech. "We won. We won, because now it's another opportunity. I am still a county commissioner."