Houston voters could elect first gay mayor

HOUSTON (AP) — Early returns show a slim margin between the two candidates in the hotly contested Houston mayoral election Saturday, in which the city could elect its first openly gay mayor.

With just over 98 percent of the early and absentee ballots counted, City Controller Annise Parker had 51 percent of the vote to former city attorney Gene Locke’s 49 percent, according to the Harris County election Web site. Ballots cast Saturday had yet to be counted.

The election battle leading up to Saturday’s balloting was marked by fierce campaigning and anti-gay rhetoric. Parker’s a lesbian who has never made a secret or an issue of her sexual orientation. If she wins, Houston will become the largest U.S. city to have an openly gay mayor.

Parker’s sexual orientation became the focus of the race in recent weeks after anti-gay activists and conservative religious groups endorsed the 61-year-old Locke and sent out mailers condemning Parker’s “homosexual behavior.”

Meanwhile, gay and lesbian political organizations nationwide have rallied to support the 53-year-old Parker by raising money for her campaign and making calls urging people to vote.

Locke, who would become the city’s second black mayor if elected, has been trying to distance himself from the anti-gay attacks while courting conservative voters who could tip the race in his favor.

Although Locke has condemned the divisive rhetoric, two of his key supporters contributed money to a conservative political-action committee that sent out an anti-gay mailer earlier this month, urging voters not to pick Parker because she was endorsed by the “gay and lesbian political caucus.”

Campaign finance reports show Ned Holmes, finance chairman of Locke’s campaign, and James Dannenbaum, a member of the campaign’s finance committee, each gave $20,000.

A poll released by Rice University this week showed Parker leading Locke 49 percent to 36 percent. The poll, commissioned by television station KHOU and radio station KUHF, is based on telephone interviews earlier this week with 442 registered voters in Houston.

Several smaller U.S. cities have openly gay mayors, including Portland, Ore., Providence, R.I., and Cambridge, Mass.

Houston, the country’s fourth-largest city, is predominantly Democratic and about 25 percent black and one-third Hispanic. About 60,000 of its 2.2 million residents identify as gay or lesbian.