Democrat Jorge Elorza was named Mayor of Providence after a hard fought race against opponent and two-time convicted felon Vincent “Buddy” Cianci.  The results of this election were announced Tuesday night to a crowd of lively supporters of all Democrats running for office in Rhode Island this cycle.

The Rhode Island Democratic Party hosted the event at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence. Hundreds of friends, family and supporters cheered as the resulted announced that Elorza was in fact Providence’s next mayor.

“Sí se puede,” the boisterous crowd cheered in Spanish as the victory was announced. This means “yes he can,” which very accurately sums up the tone of this election victory for the Latinos and supporters of Elorza.

For any candidate, Buddy Cianci is not the guy to go against.  Cianci is a celebrity in Providence and is known for his charismatic nature.

Cianci has changed his political affiliation over the years and now ran as an Independent. He served as mayor for over a decade and had never lost a mayoral election. His fame in Providence gave him a huge advantage in the earlier phase of this campaign.

On election day, the Republican candidate for mayor, Dan Harrop, announced that he was voting for Elorza. This was a very interesting and rare case where a Republican endorsed and voted for his Democratic opponent. In this case, Harrop acknowledged that he was not favored to win this election, and keeping Cianci out of office was more important than their political differences.

For the biggest city in the smallest state, this election was a big deal for Rhode Island, and even gained national attention when President Barack Obama endorsed Elorza.

Having no prior political office experience, Elorza will face a transition period where he will learn what he can do to uphold his promise and move the city forward toward his ideal and campaign slogan of “One Providence“.