Annise Parker was elected to a third and final term as mayor of Houston, defeating challenger Ben Hall in a hotly contested race.
With 35% of precincts reporting Tuesday night, Parker had secured 57% of the vote compared with 28% for Hall. Hall conceded less than two hours after the polls closed when early returns showed Parker securing the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff.
“All of us are thrilled about Annise’s win tonight,” Chuck Wolfe, President and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, said. “Annise has always been a fighter for the LGBT community, and we’re glad that Houston voters recognized she was the right choice to keep the city moving forward.”
Parker, who was elected the city’s first openly lesbian mayor in 2009, faced strong criticism from Hall over her support for an LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance. Hall campaigned hard against the measure, while Parker promised to push for more workplace protection measures in her third term.
