Houston elects new Democratic mayor endorsed by Obama

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston has elected longtime Democratic lawmaker Sylvester Turner as mayor of the nation's fourth-largest city in a tight race against Republican businessman Bill King.

Unofficial, final results show the 61-year-old Turner beat King by more than 4,000 votes in Saturday's runoff. Turner's campaign was endorsed by President Barack Obama.

Houston hasn't elected a Republican mayor in more than 30 years.

Mayor Annise Parker was term-limited after six years in office. She's leaving under the disappointment of voters last month rejecting an anti-discrimination ordinance she championed. Parker was Houston's first lesbian mayor.

Turner lost a run for mayor in the 1990s but went on to carry unusual influence as a Democrat in Texas' Republican-controlled Legislature. Turner supported the repealed ordinance that would have established nondiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people.

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The Gayly - 12/13/2015 @ 8:36 a.m. CST