Former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner was voted by election officials in Texas on Tuesday evening to fill the vacant seat left by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), who passed away on July 19 due to pancreatic cancer.
Turner emerged victorious over five other candidates and is likely to be elected in November as the 18th district leans Democratic. His main opponent was former Houston city council member Amanda Edwards, who had previously challenged Jackson Lee in Texas’s primary election earlier this year.
A total of seventy-eight Democrat precinct chairs participated in the election, which took place at Houston’s Wheeler Baptist Church.
Turner narrowly defeated Edwards in the initial round of voting with 35 votes to her 34. As no candidate received a majority of 51 percent, a runoff was held between the top two candidates. Turner ultimately secured a 41-37 victory in the final vote. He was expected to succeed Jackson Lee on the ballot and had already obtained the endorsement of her two children.
During breaks between voting rounds, Turner delivered a brief speech outlining his platform, which included priorities such as education, affordable healthcare, climate change, and affordable housing.
Edwards, who is more than 20 years younger than Turner, also addressed similar issues in her speech. She emphasized the need for bold ideas and progression, drawing a parallel to President Joe Biden stepping aside for Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Turner previously served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 139 from 1989 to 2016. During his tenure, he held various leadership roles in committees. He then went on to become the mayor of Houston from 2016 to 2024 before stepping down due to term limits.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced a special election on November 5 to select a replacement for Jackson Lee until January. Jackson Lee’s daughter, Erica Lee Carter, is expected to run for her mother’s vacant seat in this special election. However, she did not compete for the full two-year term, which will also be decided on November 5.
Despite the temporary nature of the position, the special election runoff is anticipated to be highly competitive.
Sheila Jackson Lee served in Congress for 29 years and was known for her legislative contributions, including sponsoring the bill that recognized Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
