 In 2002, Parker defeated former City Councilman Noach Dear in a tightly-contested Democratic primary for a newly drawn, open State Senate seat in Brooklyn.He won the 2002 general election and was elected to the Senate for the first time.In the 2008 Democratic primary, Parker held off a strong challenge from New York City Councilmembers Simcha Felder and Kendall Stewart; he won the primary with less than 50% of the vote.