Democrats tap former Houston mayor to replace Sheila Jackson Lee on ballot

Democrats selected former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) to serve as the party’s nominee for the November election to succeed the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas).

Turner prevailed in a local party meeting of precinct chairs who chose the candidate who will be the nominee to represent Texas’s 18th Congressional District. Jackson Lee had already won the Democratic nomination for another term in her House seat before she died last month at 74. She had pancreatic cancer.

Turner won the nomination by a narrow 41-37 vote in a runoff against Amanda Edwards, a former Houston City Council member who unsuccessfully challenged Jackson Lee in her primary earlier this year. 

Turner previously served in the Texas state House before serving as mayor of Houston for eight years, leaving office at the start of this year upon the completion of his second term. He had the support of Jackson Lee’s children, Jason Lee and Erica Lee Carter, to succeed their mother in office, saying she had “no greater partner” than him while serving in office. 

He had endorsed Jackson Lee during her race to succeed him as Houston mayor in 2023, but she lost in a runoff to then-state Sen. John Whitmire (D). 

Turner will be the clear favorite to win the seat in November in the solid blue district. He will face Republican Lana Centonze in the general election. 

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) set a special election to fill the remainder of Jackson Lee’s term on the same day as the general election. Lee Carter, Jackson Lee’s daughter, is running in the special election to serve the rest of the term. 

Turner is not expected to run for the special election, The Washington Post reported. Candidates have one more week to register for the election. 

The Associated Press contributed.