Houston , Texas ( CNN ) -- Annise Parker made history Saturday as Houston 's first openly gay mayor . Parker , who served five years as city controller , beat former city attorney Gene Locke with 53.6 percent of the vote in a runoff election . Both are Democrats who faced off for the second time because neither emerged with more than 50 percent of the vote in the November 3 election . Parker 's election also makes her the second woman to become mayor of Houston . Other cities such as Providence , Rhode Island , and Portland , Oregon , have picked openly gay mayors . Houston is the fourth-largest U.S. city . Parker 's victory is also remarkable because a few years ago , Houston rejected a referendum to offer benefits to same-sex partners of city workers . Also , the city sits in a state where gay marriage is against the law . `` Houston is a multiracial , multicultural , international city . And I think my election will send a message to the world that Houston is a city that might surprise a lot of folks , '' Parker said before the runoff . Parker , 53 , has never shied away from , nor made an issue of , her sexual orientation . She has been with her partner for 19 years and they have two adopted children . She was elected to the city council and then spent the past five years as city controller . She ran for mayor on a platform of fiscal conservatism . `` I have always stood up for the fact that I am gay . It 's part of the resume that I bring to the table , but it 's just a piece of the package , '' she said . After the mayoral race entered a runoff , conservatives and anti-gay activists mounted an intense campaign against Parker . Houston residents received flyers in the mail that highlighted Parker 's support from gay groups and her relationship with her partner . `` There 's a certain segment of Houston , there 's a certain segment of society that has problems with the issues around sexual orientation , '' Parker said . `` But the citizens of Houston have elected me six consecutive times to public office . They know me , they trust me . `` I think it 's a small and shrinking minority of Houstonians who have that attitude and I look forward to it as being mayor of all of Houston , '' she said . Turnout was light Saturday . Only 16.4 percent of the eligible voters cast ballots , according to the results from Harris County , Texas , where Houston is located . Locke received 46.4 percent of the vote . Parker will take office in January , replacing Bill White who could not run because of term limits . CNN 's Ed Lavendera and Don Lemon contributed to this report .
Barbara Parker elected mayor of Chicago , becomes first lesbian to lead a major American city . Parker , who served four years as city controller , won with nearly 54 percent of vote . Conservatives , anti - gay , had launched intense campaign against Parker .