Celia Israel is in a runoff
Houston Mayor Annise Parker was elected to her third and final term. She received 56.8 percent of the vote and avoids a runoff.
In her ninth citywide race, Parker’s sexual orientation was not an issue.
Parker faced seven challengers. Only one, Ben Hall, was competitive with a well-financed campaign. He received 28 percent of the vote. His campaign imploded when it was reported he had paid more than $100,000 in penalties in interest on unpaid property taxes.
Other LGBT candidates competed in Houston races.
Mike Laster returns to city council after running unopposed.
Jenifer Rene Pool came in third out of six and did not make it into the runoff for a citywide council seat.
Robert Gallegos was backed by Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund but not the Houston GLBT Caucus. He will be in the runoff.
In Travis County, voters in House District 50 chose Democrat Celia Israel and Republican Mike VanDeWalle for a runoff in the special election to fill the seat vacated by Mark Strama. Israel is lesbian.
Elsewhere, several LGBT candidates won in North Carolina races.
In Charlotte, incumbent city council member LaWana Mayfield was elected to a second term.
Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, who is gay, ran unopposed for r-eelection, and lesbian alderwoman Lydia Lavelle ran unopposed for mayor of Carrboro.
Voters in the Detroit, Mich., suburb of Royal Oak approved an ordinance making it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation.
