Houston Election Results Thread

Great race Annise!! (0.00 / 0)

Annise is a "Locke" to be the next mayor of H-town.

---

by: Bluefish @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 at 04:18:06 AM UTC

Woot! (0.00 / 0)

Congrats Parker for a victory well deserved.  

---

by: dickinabox @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 at 04:29:48 AM UTC

Congrats Annise, Congrats Houston! (0.00 / 0)

This is a great night for Annise, her campaign (which was great), and Houston. Hah, Houston elects first openly gay mayor. Suck it Austin!

---

by: Matt Hardigree @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 at 04:54:49 AM UTC

Also, Congrats Costello (0.00 / 0)

Costello is going to make a great Council Member.

---

by: Matt Hardigree @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 at 04:58:36 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I predicted 55% (0.00 / 0)

I didn't vote for her but nonetheless expected her to win by around 55%. The weather may have contributed to the low turn-out although low turn-out seems to be a given in Houston.  The bottom line is Gene Locke's advisors, and probably former friends at this point, steered him the wrong way with regard to Steven Hotze which he realized which is why he basically disengaged weeks ago.  

Annise Parker ran a dirty campaign, aided and abetted by the media, and some really didn't like being told they were homophobes if they voted for Gene Locke. Quite a few gays and lesbians are homophobes apparently.  It wasn't a matter of not wanting a lesbian as mayor but simply a matter of not wanting Annise Parker as mayor.

As for Ned Holmes who provided the final firebomb that the media tossed at Gene Locke it will be interesting to see how long it takes Annise Parker to make a beeline to his house for a "Second Chance" fundraiser. A tradition started by Bill White.

The real winner last night was Jolanda Jones who won despite the effort of Sue Lovell to defeat her.  

There's something wrong with a Democratic candidate openly endorsing the Republican challenger of another Democratic candidate.  

Texas politics is certainly interesting if nothing else.  

---

by: Baby Snooks @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 at 10:49:30 AM UTC

Advisors can't steer... (5.00 / 1)

...without the candidate stepping on the gas himself.

"Spiritually" aligning his campaign with Hotze was the most tone-deaf move I've seen a Democratic candidate make in quite some time.

(And for those who don't know anything about Good Doctor Hotze, I suggest starting here: http://www.houstonpress.com/20... )

I can't see that move-- putting your hopes in turning out the anti-gay vote-- as a failure of advisors. It begins and ends with the candidate, and I suppose it ended yesterday. Hopefully forever.

"I wonder now what Ernest Hemingway's dictionary looked like, since he got along so well with dinky words that everybody can spell and truly understand." -- Kurt Vonnegut

---

by: Mack Simpson @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 at 16:39:33 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Agree and disagree... (0.00 / 0)

Like him or not, and I don't and have been outspoken about him and his family from day one, Steven Hotze nonetheless represents the views of tens of thousands of conservative voters with conservative views on everything.  Not just gay rights. He's not really for womens rights. Or civil rights.  The latter disturbed quite a few in the African-American community.

Gene Locke perhaps thought those votes would be important, as have others and as others did, in terms of winning an election. The problem is what he didn't realize, and his advisors didn't realize, was that those same voters who wouldn't vote for a lesbian also wouldn't vote for an African-American.  And didn't. In fact the demographics will probably be indicative of that. Of the 16.5% who turned out to vote, few were probably Republican.  Quite a few cut off their noses to spite their faces in this. The Republicans most of all.  Some of it was Gene Locke. Some of it was perceived advantage to having a liberal lesbian to run a Republican against in 2011.  Harris County is red. Houston is blue. And Republicans just don't play well in Houston and probably never will.  But they believe they will.  

Would it have mattered had Gene Locke disassociated himself? Probably not.  And he may have known at the point he considered it that Ned Holmes and Jim Dannenbaum had funded Steven Hotze's organization.  Which was the point he disengaged. That probably did more damage than anything particularly in the African-American community that is going to place their own civil rights above anyone else's.

As for Ned Holmes it will be interesting to see if Annise Parker walks her own talk and cuts off the kingmaker.

Most expect to see her at some point in the "gameroom" admiring all the wild animals he's bagged through the years staring down at her while schmoozing with all the Republicans.  And collecting the checks. Ned Holmes loves his hunting. And his favorite prey is politicians. Of course he just buys them instead of shoots them. But they still end up on the walls.

---

by: Baby Snooks @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 at 19:07:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I think you miss the mark in your analysis (0.00 / 0)

(Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the word pictures of your closing paragraph.)

Run-offs are like primaries; only the most energized turn out. What Republican is going to get energized about casting a vote for a Democrat, irregardless of skin color or sexual orientation, particularly when it's not a vote FOR one candidate as much as it is a vote AGAINST another?

Do you mean to say had the candidate been a Republican Colin Powell red Houston wouldn't have turned out? I can't imagine that.

This was always going to be a turn-out-the-Democrats run-off, and Locke threw a wet blanket on that effort through his pandering (née, selling out) to the bigoted Republican sub-culture represented by Hotze and his holy rollers.

"I wonder now what Ernest Hemingway's dictionary looked like, since he got along so well with dinky words that everybody can spell and truly understand." -- Kurt Vonnegut

---

by: Mack Simpson @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 at 20:33:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Colin Powell? (0.00 / 0)

I don't think Colin Powell would win a Republican primary in Harris County. His challenger would. Unless the challenger was also African-American. Quite a few Republicans just wouldn't vote.  It's called racism. Something Ned Holmes and Jim Dannenbaum obviously thought would be put aside. After all, they were supporting him. Everyone should fall in line. They didn't fall in line with Orlando Sanchez either. Which is how Bill White won. Although Bill White got some Republican votes. Because of the Bush connection. Who had endorsed Orlando Sanchez in a previous race. But not this one.  They didn't endorse him because of Issam Fares. And because of Issam Fares many Republicans looked at Bill White as a "FOB." Friend of the Bushes. Could get you elected six years ago. Might get you defeated six years later.  Kay Bailey Hutchison has so far steered clear. Even though she was one of their lapdogs.  

Although in Harris County the Republicans just call it "conservative."  Some have moved beyond that.  Beverly Kaufman who is pretty much a moderate Republican and well-respected endorsed Gene Locke. So did the C Club.  In the end the "conservatives" decided not to vote.  They didn't want to vote against one or for another.  Because they didn't want either as mayor.  They also didn't want Roy Morales because of course he's a Hispanic. If they had, given the low turn-out in November, Roy Morales probably would have won the election.  

---

by: Baby Snooks @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 at 21:23:46 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

great run for Locke (0.00 / 0)

there were a handful of folks saying this race was over and locke didn't have a chance.

locke gave parker all she wanted and more. it was a great case study in how to bring a candidate from way out to contention.

not much has been said of parker's outreach/field, but it must have been substantial to overcome those subpar tv ads.

congrats mayor parker. great race.

Please refer to KT's signature.

---

by: colin @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 at 17:16:57 PM UTC

At least he got back out in his own community... (0.00 / 0)

The campaign ended, really, before it began.  Any way you cut it, Steven Hotze cost him the election.

But he did get out in the community. His own community. Which in great part really didn't know him. You'll probably see more of him as a result. Just not as a politician. So in that sense, everyone won something.

As for the $64,000 Annise Parker wasted on Roy Morales, it would be interesting to know how many of his supporters voted for her. Probably none. The money would have been better spent being given to a community organization.

A lot of the money would be better spent being given to community organizations.  Bloomberg spent over $100 million to win a third term as mayor of New York. That $100 million would have done a lot more good being used to help the poor than any mayor possibly could. Instead it was used to feed an ego instead of thousands of New Yorkers.  

---

by: Baby Snooks @ Sun Dec 13, 2009 at 19:16:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]