Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, longtime friend and political ally to the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, will succeed her in Congress following a landslide win Tuesday.
Turner, a Democrat, won 70 percent of the vote against Republican newcomer Lana Centonze to represent the 18th Congressional District. Jackson-Lee held the seat for 30 years prior to her death in July, and Turner had the endorsements of both her children.
Jackson-Lee’s daughter, Erica Lee Carter, separately won a special election to fill the remainder of her mother’s term, which ends in January.
“I am deeply honored to follow in the footsteps of my mother, Sheila Jackson Lee, whose dedication to our community has shaped the path I now walk,” Lee Carter said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Turner served as Houston mayor for eight years before the election of current Mayor John Whitmire, who prevailed over Jackson-Lee in the 2023 mayoral race.
Jackson Lee died July 19, a month-and-a-half after her office announced she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Originally from the Acres Home community, Turner will will represent part of the neighborhood, along with downtown Houston, EaDo, Fifth Ward, Third Ward and parts of northeast Houston and Harris County.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print.
