2009 Houston mayoral election
The Houston mayoral election of 2009 took place on November 3, 2009, to elect the successor to incumbent Mayor Bill White. White was ineligible for re-election, having served three terms. The race is officially nonpartisan. After no candidate received a majority of the votes, the top two candidates - City Controller Annise Parker and former City Attorney Gene Locke - faced each other in a runoff election on December 12, 2009. On November 11, councilman Peter Brown (who finished third in the first round) publicly endorsed Parker in the Mayor's race.[1] Annise Parker won the run-off and is now the mayor of Houston.
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Elections in Texas |
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Government |
With the election, Houston became the largest city to elect an openly gay mayor.[2][3]
Candidates
Candidates listed in order of how they appear on the official ballot.[4]
- City Councilman Peter Brown
- Amanda Ulman
- Luis Ullrich
- Dan Cupp
- Education Trustee Roy Morales
- City Controller Annise Parker
- Former City Attorney Gene Locke
Results
General election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
None | Annise Parker | 54,193 | 31% | ||
None | Gene Locke | 45,954 | 26% | ||
None | Peter Brown | 39,904 | 22% | ||
None | Roy Morales | 35,925 | 20% | ||
None | Amanda Ulman | 992 | 1% |
Runoff results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
None | Annise Parker | 81,743 | 53.60% | +22.60% | |
None | Gene Locke | 70,770 | 46.40% | +20.20% |
Endorsements
Polling
Pre-election polling
Source | Error margin | Date | Peter Brown (D) | Gene Locke (D) | Roy Morales (R) | Annise Parker (D) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston Chronicle and Zogby International [5] | +/- 4.1% | October 18, 2009 | 23.8% | 13.1% | 6.7% | 19.0% |
11 News/ KUHF Houston Public Radio poll [6][7] | +/- 4.2% | October 27, 2009 | 24% | 14% | 5% | 16% |
Aftermath
Parker was re-elected in 2011 and 2013. Locke served as Harris County interim commissioner in 2016, finishing the term of El Franco Lee, who had died unexpectedly in January of that year.[8]
See also
References
- "Peter Brown endorses Annise Parker for mayor". Retrieved 2009-11-01.
- McKinley Jr., James C. (December 12, 2009). "Houston Is Largest City to Elect Openly Gay Mayor". New York Times.
- Ortez, David (December 16, 2009). "Why Annise Parker Won And Gene Locke Lost". Houston Press. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
- "Harris County Official Sample Ballot - 2009" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
- "Poll: Brown leads Houston Mayor's race". Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- "Brown commands big lead in 11 News mayoral poll". Archived from the original on 2009-10-29. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
- "Houston Mayor's Race". Archived from the original on 2009-09-08. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
- Banks, Gabrielle (January 22, 2016). "Gene Locke named to fill Commissioner Lee's seat". Houston Chronicle.
External links
- Peter Brown
- Gene Locke
- Roy Morales
- Annise Parker
- Houston Chronicle special online section
- Election Information