Veteran lawmaker Sylvester Turner won a tight mayoral election in Houston, Texas, on Saturday.

Turner beat Bill King, a Republican businessman, in the rain-affected election. The largest city in Texas, also the fourth most-populous city in the United States, now belongs to the Democrats.

Turner, who has served in Legislature for over 25 years, defeated business executive King, who is a former columnist for The Houston Chronicle. King’s series of columns were called “Unapologetically Moderate.”

While King promised to solve city finances, Turner wanted to expand economic opportunities if elected. Earlier in a November election, no candidate managed to end up as a winner. This time, Turner won 51 percent votes and King 49 percent while more than 210,000 votes were cast.

King focused more on basic issues like improving infrastructure and fixing potholes. His campaign banked on a “Back to Basics” ideology. He eventually turned out to be a strong opponent against Turner as polls predicted no clear winner in the days before the election.

Turner appreciated King for making the race “very competitive.” "It's going to take all of us, working together, to make this a great city," Turner said as he indicated seeking cooperation from King.

"I look forward to talking with him in the weeks and months to come on how we all can work collectively."

Turner has been elected for a two-year term in a city where economy is closely related to an oil industry. However, the industry is presently suffering due to falling prices for crude. Democrat Annise D. Parker has been the mayor of Houston for nearly six years. Parker is known for being one of the first openly gay mayors in the country.

The last Republican to be elected as a mayor in Houston was Republican Jim McConn who served between 1978 and 1982.

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