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Houston Makes History With Election of First Openly Gay Mayor
Posted by Administrator
Gay advocates across the country are cheering the results of Houston's historic mayoral election. Voters handed a strong victory to City Controller Annise Parker, making Houston the largest U.S. city to ever elect an openly gay mayor.
Several smaller cities, including Providence, R.I., Portland, Ore. and Cambridge, Mass., have elected openly gay mayors, but never a city the size of Houston nor one in a such a conservative state.
Parker defeated her opponent, fellow Democrat Gene Locke, with a vote of 53 percent to 47 percent. By all accounts, it was a monumental win, especially considering that Texas has outlawed gay marriage and the city of Houston denied benefits to same-sex partners of city employees.
Ms. Parker's sexual orientation was publicized during the race, but according to a Houston Chronicle poll, about three-quarters of voters said it wasn't a deciding factor. And when it came to the big-picture issues, the two candidates had few differences. Parker stressed her experience as City Controller and said it would make her better suited to guide the city through difficult economic conditions. Locke, on the other hand, affirmed he would expand the local police department in an effort to crack down on crime.
The mudslinging began in the final weeks of the race. Locke insinuated that Parker favors tax increases and is "soft on crime." But it was a group of African-American pastors that really got down and dirty. They led an organized effort to attack Parker and her "gay agenda," as they called it, by sending out mailers that drew attention to her support from gay groups and publicized her relationship with her partner.
Mr. Locke, being African-American himself, was quickly associated with the attacks. Although he denied any involvement, two members of his finance committee allegedly gave $40,000 to help pay for one of the mailings.
Strategists believe this association may have been problematic for Locke. In order to win, he needed a large majority of the black vote, as well as support from conservative whites. Low turnout on election day may have also been to blame.
Stone throwing aside, the symbolically-significant election is certainly one for the history books.
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