Left: Houston mayoral candidate U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee during a campaign event on Oct. 27, 2023 in Houston. Right: State Sen. John Whitmire during a debate on Oct. 10, 2023 in Houston.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images; Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Texas State Sen. John Whitmire and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee are advancing to a runoff election for Houston mayor since neither cleared the 50% threshold.
Both stood out in a crowded field for their high levels of name recognition, decades of public service, and in Whitmire’s case, a prodigious campaign war chest that enabled him to blanket the airwaves with commercials. Jackson Lee is widely considered the more progressive of the two leading candidates.
The race was one of the most crowded and expensive in recent memory. Eighteen candidates vied to succeed Mayor Sylvester Turner, who is term limited. Among the other major names in the race were former Metro chair Gilbert Garcia, Houston City Councilmember Robert Gallegos, former Houston City Councilmember Jack Christie, and Houston attorney Lee Kaplan.
The campaign was mostly quiet, but that changed in October when audio of Jackson Lee cursing and berating her staff was leaked. She then went on to say “Whitmire operatives” leaked the audio to the public, the day before early voting began. Whitmire, during their final debate, said, “It is ridiculous to suggest I would want anyone to hear those words.”
Top issues for voters
Polls were done throughout the campaign that determined most Houston residents feel the next mayor should make fighting crime a priority.
Jackson Lee said she would take an approach that focuses on embracing…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply