Houston City Controller Annise Parker was the top vote-getter Tuesday in the race for mayor, garnering more than 30% of the vote in a crowded field of candidates.  Parker will  now face former city attorney Gene Locke, who finished second, in a runoff election in mid-December.

“We’re thrilled.  This is a tremendous first step, but the race isn’t over,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which endorsed Parker.  “There’s now a six-week runoff campaign to win, and that’s going to take a lot of hard work and lot of resources.  We’re committed to doing everything we can to help elect Annise.”

Parker’s campaign has received national attention in recent days, owing to the fact she would become America’s first openly gay mayor of a city the size of Houston, the country’s fourth-largest.

Photo:  Houston Chronicle