Erica Lee Carter was not thinking about politics in the days following her mother’s passing.
The eight days of memorials for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in late July and early August were a whirlwind for Lee Carter, who said she spent the time intentionally avoiding the political conversations swirling around her family.
By the time the 44-year-old could come up for air following her mother’s Aug. 1 funeral, a vote on who would replace Jackson Lee as the Congressional District 18 Democratic nominee on the Nov. 5 ballot was just days away.
“Once we finished that initial part of honoring our mother, we came out with our opinion because we felt strongly about having a strong person that shared many of the same values as our mother,” Lee Carter said.
Lee Carter and her brother, Jason Lee, endorsed former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a longtime family friend and political ally of Jackson Lee. From there, slowly, but surely, Lee Carter entered the arena her mother left behind.
In the months following the 74-year-old Jackson Lee’s July 19 death after a battle with pancreatic cancer, her daughter has gone from mourning behind the scenes to championing her mother’s work as an elected member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Lee Carter said she did not think she wanted the role, but quickly was convinced by her mother’s supporters in Houston. Phone calls to local Democrats made in support of Turner’s candidacy for a term beginning in January frequently turned to discussions of what to do about the remaining months of Jackson Lee’s unfinished term this year, she said.
It was the needs of the residents of District 18 that convinced Lee Carter to run in the special election to finish her mother’s term. With the election being held so close to the Jan. 3 end of the Congressional session, Lee Carter worried a competitive special election could require a separate runoff election and risk leaving the district unrepresented until Turner took office, she said.
“She always finished what she started,” Lee Carter said of her mother. “I thought about how faithful she had remained and how hard she fought every battle. It was the least I could do for my mother. That really pushed me over the edge to do it.”
Continuing mother’s work
Lee Carter won the special election by a wide margin over two Republican candidates. Turner won the separate general election the same day.
The pair now are working together to shepherd the district through a period of transition after having the same representative for nearly 30 years. The two have attended and voted in Democratic caucus meetings together.
“I’ve watched her and seen how she stepped into this role on very short notice, in very difficult circumstances,” Turner said. “I could not be more proud.”
Much of Lee Carter’s staff worked for her mother. Lee Carter’s head of security, who held the same role for Jackson Lee, frequently asks her if she remembered to bring her phone because the late congresswoman often would forget hers. Coming from a younger generation, Lee Carter said she does not need the reminder, but appreciates the care with which her staff treats her and treated her mother.
Jackson Lee’s influence is obvious, but Lee Carter stands on her own as a community advocate. She served as an elected trustee for the Harris County Department of Education from 2013 until 2019. She also worked from 2020 until this year in the policy division for Precinct 1 Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, spearheading initiatives on economic equity, voting rights, and budget management.
In Washington, Lee Carter is pushing to complete priorities of her own in the session’s final days.
She’s hosted events in the district, including a federal jobs fair earlier this month. In Washington, Lee Carter said she is working to secure disaster aid and coordinating with the Congressional Black Caucus to push President Joe Biden to issue more clemency and pardons in the final days of his presidency.
Lee Carter is also continuing bipartisan work of her mother, partnering with U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, to push through a bill to increase the penalties for those convicted of human trafficking that occurred near a school. Jackson Lee and McCaul co-wrote the bill, but McCaul reintroduced it with Lee Carter in November and renamed it the Sheila Jackson Lee Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones Act in honor of the late congresswoman.
“Congresswoman Jackson Lee certainly left big shoes to fill, but it’s been a pleasure to see her daughter Erica pick up the mantle and work across the aisle on legislation to combat human trafficking,” McCaul wrote in a statement.
Future plans
While Turner waits in the wings, he said he intends to continue pushing many of the same priorities of Jackson Lee and Lee Carter.
Since entering Congress, Lee Carter said she has been struck by how many members have come up to her to compliment Jackson Lee’s vast knowledge of local, national and international issues built up over decades of service. Lee Carter said she does not have all of her mother’s famed energy because “I only have 50 percent of her genes.”
For her part, Lee Carter said she excels at using technology as a member of a younger generation and shares her mother’s deep understanding and commitment to solving local issues in Houston.
“I sat behind her, I’ve been in the hearing rooms with her, usually in the corner,” Lee Carter said. “I’ve seen it all, so now I’m just trying to do the best I can.”
After she leaves office in January, Lee Carter said she intends to return home to her family after a “hard year.”
Turner, who is 70, has previously said he intends to serve a maximum of two terms, then hopes to be a stepping stone to a younger generation.
Lee Carter said she has not decided if she will run for the seat again in four years, but she does plan to continue working in the community in Houston. She also wants to create an archive of her mother’s congressional career in the coming years.
“The history for one district, the 18th, and for one family, is amazing,” Lee Carter said. “It’s something I will always treasure, even though it came through a lot of pain.”
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