Story highlights
London's mayoral contest made international headlines as race and religion emerged as central issues
Khan's election makes him the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital city
Hillary Clinton congratulated the newly elected mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in a tweet Saturday morning.
“Son of a Pakistani bus driver, champion of workers’ rights and human rights, and now Mayor of London. Congrats, @SadiqKhan. –H” Clinton wrote.
London’s mayoral contest made international headlines as race and religion emerged as central issues, as Khan’s election makes him the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital city. Clinton’s tweet does not mention his religion.
RELATED: London elects Sadiq Khan, first Muslim mayor, after ugly campaign
Islamic extremism is a key issue in the 2016 presidential race, especially after Donald Trump, now the presumptive Republican nominee, proposed in December a temporary ban of all Muslims from entering the United States.
Republicans and Democrats alike denounced the proposal, with Clinton calling the plan “reprehensible, prejudiced and divisive” shortly after Trump’s remarks.
CNN’s Tim Hume contributed to this report.
