Mayor Annise Parker poses with her daughters, right, and their friends at a campaign kickoff event in Houston last week.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker, the first openly LGBT person elected mayor of a top 10 U.S. city, kicked off her re-election campaign last week.
Houston city elections aren’t until November, and Parker campaign spokeswoman Sue Davis said right now the focus is fundraising.
No other candidates have declared to run against Parker, but Davis said the mayor has to be ready for potential challengers. She added that a Houston firefighter has indicated an intent to run but is not what she called a serious candidate.
Even if no challenger emerges in this election cycle, Davis said Parker wants to prevent or be prepared for challengers for a third term.
The Houston mayor and city council members are elected to two-year terms with a three-term limit for each office. Parker was first elected in 2009.
Parker’s campaign kickoff and rally was held at Discovery Green park in downtown Houston. About 300 people attended.
