By Chris Kilgore
June 13, 2011

Las Vegas elected Carolyn Goodman, wife of current mayor Oscar Goodman, June 7 to carry on in her husband’s post, with 60 percent of the vote. She won against Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, who took home the other 40 percent. Goodman’s lead was clear throughout the night, with early voting showing her with a 30-point margin over her opponent. Goodman will be the second woman to serve as mayor of Las Vegas.

Her husband, Oscar Goodman, is term-limited after his third term serving as mayor of Las Vegas, which ends this summer. Mayor-elect Goodman used her husband’s widespread popularity during her campaign, relying heavily on the power of her last name and the charisma of her husband. “To me, if you have Abe Lincoln and he’s so wonderful, why not have one of his sons carry on?” Goodman said to a voter on Tuesday morning according to a Las Vegas Sun article. While she maintained that she was her own candidate, she was unapologetic about using her husband to her advantage. Both Oscar and Carolyn Goodman pointed to her experience as first lady as her primary qualification, that she learned to do the job standing by her husband for the past 12 years.

After her victory, Goodman clearly stated in a Las Vegas Sun article, “It’s not about me. It’s about our city and what we want.” About her opponent, she said in the article, “She wanted what was best for the city, but I believe we wanted more.” Mayor Oscar Goodman was very involved with The U.S. Conference of Mayors, serving as Chair of the Mayors Business Council as well as serving on the Advisory Board.

Carolyn Goodman is scheduled to take office on July 6.