South Carolina: Charleston elects first Republican mayor since Reconstruction

William Cogswell beats Democratic incumbent John Tecklenburg to become city's first Republican mayor since 1870s

The historic South Carolina city of Charleston has elected its first Republican mayor since the Reconstruction era.

William Cogswell, formerly a Republican state lawmaker, defeated the incumbent Democratic mayor, John Tecklenburg, by about 2 percentage points in Tuesday's runoff, according to the South Carolina Election Commission. Results posted online by the commission showed a 569-vote margin separating the the two candidates.