"I'm grateful to the voters for the vindication, " said Luken, who is white, according to the Associated Press.

CNN: Several large cities getting new mayors

But the Dems won again, with Thomas Luken running against not only Nixon, but also gasoline shortages and high unemployment.

NPR: GOP Nervous About Trends in Special House Races

Fuller has criticized Luken's handling of the riots that broke out earlier this year when an unarmed black man was shot and killed by a white city police officer.

CNN: New York, other major U.S. cities look for new stewards