Annise Parker, the openly gay candidate for mayor of Houston, spoke with CNN on Monday and said that her being gay is “just a piece of the package.”
 
Parker, who could become mayor of the fourth-largest city in the United States, downplayed the impact of her sexual orientation on her political career in an interview with The Situation Room.

“I have always stood up for the fact that I am gay,” she said, “and it’s part of the résumé that I bring to the table, but it’s just a piece of the package.”

Parker, currently comptroller of Houston, faces a tight three-way contest on Tuesday. The race will likely go to a runoff election in December.