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Montgomery, Alabama, elects Steven Reed, first black mayor in 200-year history

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — History was made Tuesday in the capital of Alabama as Montgomery elected its first black mayor.

The Associated Press reported 45-year-old probate Judge Steven Reed defeated businessman David Woods with 67% of the vote in the runoff, according to unofficial results released by the city.

In Montgomery's 200-year history, there has never been a black mayor. The city, which now has a majority black population, was the first capital of the Confederacy and is where Southern delegates voted to form the Confederate States of America in 1861.

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Reed said in his victory speech that the election results show "a unified Montgomery," AL.com reported.

“Today is about the vision -- the vision we have for people far beyond this room," Reed said. "Some of the people who could not be here, but it encompasses and it connects all of them. And that’s what we have been saying and that’s what we want to make sure we continue tomorrow, and the next day and the next day because that is what is going to define this city, and that’s what’s going to define this election.

"It’s not going to be about the first. It’s not even going to be about the best. It’s going to be about the impact that we make on the lives of others."

Reed will replace Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange, who was first elected in 2009 and did not run for reelection.