ROANOKE, Va. – Sherman Lea declared himself the winner Tuesday night in the race for Roanoke Mayor, securing his second term. Lea said Bowers called him to congratulate him on the win.
Sherman Lea*(D)
David Bowers(I)
(21 / 21)
With an initial drop of absentee and early votes added to the city’s voting total, Lea holds a 2,110-vote lead.
However, records from the Roanoke registrar’s office indicate that there could still be 2,259 votes left to count. In addition to those votes, it’s unknown how many provision ballots were cast in this race.
10 News reached out to David Bowers, Lea’s challenger, and has not received a comment.
Lea ran against Bowers, who served as the city’s mayor from 1992 to 2000, then again from 2008 to 2016.
During the campaign, Lea focused on education and Bowers honed in on jobs in the city.
The two did share some top priorities, including tackling gun violence in the Star City and the downtown bus station.
Lea and Bowers both see the downtown bus station as a main concern, but their visions for the project differ.
Lea wants to see a new bus station built in front of the Virginia Museum of Transportation, while Bowers wants to renovate the current station on Campbell Avenue.
Back in 2016, Sherman Lea won the mayoral election and had no opponents.
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