Eighty-eight precinct chairs will choose Congressional District 18’s likely next representative on Tuesday, and influential Houston-area Democrats are lining up for a chance at the seat. 

A mad dash for support has been playing out over the past week since funeral services for the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who held the seat for nearly 30 years, concluded last Thursday. A flood of candidate declarations followed on Friday from politicians who had been waiting for Jackson Lee to be laid to rest before announcing their interest in replacing her as the Democratic nominee for the heavily Democratic Congressional district. 

The responsibility of that vote has been weighing on Linda Bell-Robinson, a retired resident of the district and chair of the 88-member Congressional District 18 Executive Committee that will select the district’s likely next representative. 

“I want to do the right thing while no one is looking,” Bell-Robinson said. “I want to do the right thing for my community, for the overall district.”

Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, state Rep. Christina Morales, At-Large City Council Member Letitia Plummer, Harris County Department of Education board member Erica Davis and former City Council Member Amanda Edwards are among at least 10 people who have announced their interest in being selected for the nomination. 

EARLIER: Sheila Jackson Lee remembered as mentor, tireless champion of Houston and ‘a good mom’

Jackson Lee died July 19, after having secured the Democratic nomination in a March primary election in which she defeated Edwards. The process to replace a nominee on the November general election ballot is managed by the political party that nominated the candidate. The process determines the party nominee for a two-year term beginning in 2025. 

Candidates are not required to formally file to run for the election like a normal primary, meaning the precinct chairs could choose anyone for the nomination on Tuesday. Those interested have been participating in individual interviews with a committee of precinct chairs ahead of a 1 p.m. forum at the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy on Saturday.

Echo or new voice?

Many of the candidates are promising to continue the work of Jackson Lee, each arguing their distinct political background gives them the experience and connections to be able to effectively funnel federal appropriations to the district.

During his interview Tuesday, Turner forcefully made that argument. Acknowledging his age of 69 years and a previous battle with a type of bone cancer, Turner said he wants to represent the district for only a short time and serve as a bridge to a younger generation of leaders. 

Turner said his decades as a public official representing parts of the district will prevent a lapse of services for the district he said would occur with a less experienced representative. 

“It’s important the people of the 18th don’t miss out on those resources while others are just learning the basics,” Turner said. 

Turner has been endorsed for the nomination by Jackson Lee’s children, Jason Lee and Erica Lee Carter.

RELATED: Ballot replacement for Sheila Jackson Lee to be chosen by Democratic precinct chairs next month 

Johnson, whose state House District 139 is partly contained within CD-18, agreed “experience matters,” but he said nominating an older candidate who already has declared himself a lame duck like Turner would only harm the district. 

Johnson said the precinct chairs should select someone who can blaze their own trail and inspire the district’s voters. He argued Turner was being disingenuous by claiming he is the only candidate with the relationships to effectively represent the district.

“There will never be another Sheila Jackson Lee, period,” Johnson said Thursday. “The only comparison between Sheila Jackson Lee and Sylvester, unfortunately, is age and health. That is the only thing they have in common, the fact that Sheila had cancer and Sylvester had cancer and they’re in their 70s.”

Edwards made an argument similar to Johnson’s. Her primary campaign message against Jackson Lee this spring was centered around the need for a fresh voice in the seat. 

“We are in a very unique moment, one that requires us to build on the legacy of the strong leadership in this district,” Edwards said. “In addition to that, we have to have a new approach to address some of the issues that have been lingering in the community … I think it’s time to make room for those new voices, for those ideas, those solutions, for that next leg of the race.”  

Unusual campaign

All candidates described a strange, but intimate campaign as they work the phones or go to events in hopes of giving their pitch directly to each of the 88 voters. 

Plummer’s campaign has been particularly peculiar because of a provision of the Texas Constitution that bars a current officeholder with a term longer than two years from becoming a candidate in any primary, general or special election. 

Relying on a 2000 legal opinion by then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn and advice from City Attorney Arturo Michel, Plummer has declared her interest in the nomination, but she wants it to be clear she is not a “candidate.” Cornyn’s opinion said it is constitutional for an officeholder to seek an executive committee nomination without resigning, so long as they take no formal steps to declare themselves a candidate.

City Council terms are four years and state House terms are only two, which is why Morales and Johnson have been able to campaign without restrictions despite still holding office.

All of Plummer’s printed campaign materials contain a disclaimer clarifying she is a “nominee” for the nomination, not a candidate, she said. The executive committee changed the “candidate questionnaire” to the “nominee questionnaire” to prevent any legal challenges, Plummer said. 

“I feel like I’m fighting for probably the most important fight in my life with one arm behind my back,” the council member said. “I’m such a go-getter, and I’m incredibly competitive. It’s hard to do this fight being so cautious.”

The legal semantics will prevent Plummer from participating in Saturday’s “candidate forum,” she said. 

Despite the hurdles, Plummer said she has found the situation an opportunity to distinguish herself from a crowded field by holding more one-on-one conversations with precinct chairs. Plummer argued her relationships with city and county administrations would make her a more effective representative than the rest of the field, particularly Turner, who has a frosty relationship with his successor, Mayor John Whitmire. 

In her Thursday evening interview, Morales said she has been undertaking a campaign by telephone and found that precinct chairs’ top issue is affordable housing. Morales, a resident and business owner in the congressional district, represents state House District 145, which is partially within CD-18. 

Morales pointed to years of community initiatives long before her time in office, including an annual school supply drive and jobs fair that she organizes. While she discussed topics such as housing affordability, infrastructure and climate change, Morales was most passionate about the state takeover of HISD and said the district needs someone who will fight against it, much like Jackson Lee did. 

“This (election) isn’t about who has more money in their campaign account, this isn’t about a popularity contest, this is about who is right for the job,” Morales said. “I know in my heart I am that person, and I hope you will support me so I can use this larger platform to fix the problems that are happening in Congressional District 18.”

Bell-Robinson said she is trying to avoid influencing her fellow precinct chairs in any way leading up to Tuesday’s vote. She said she hopes the winner will be a politician in the mold of Jackson Lee.

“I want someone to go (to Washington) that will stand strong like Sheila Jackson Lee,” Bell-Robinson said. “I want someone to go who will fight for the people in this community, all of us, the little people.”

Public vote

Tuesday’s vote will be held at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church at 6 p.m., the location of a community celebration for Jackson Lee just last week. 

Democratic Party rules set the terms of the vote, which will be public. Bell-Robinson said the first round will be a voice vote, then the precinct chairs will be physically separated and counted if a runoff round is required. 

Bell-Robinson said she would prefer to hold a secret ballot to ensure all of the precinct chairs are comfortable voting, but her hands are tied because of the party rules. 

Meanwhile, Jackson Lee’s old seat is vacant. Interested candidates are weighing whether or not to file for a special election on the same day as the general election to fill what will be only about two months of Jackson Lee’s remaining term, come November 5. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was not required to call for the special election or set it for the same day as the general election, so his decision to do so has Bell-Robinson suspicious of political “shenanigans” by the Republican governor. 

“We’re so close to the election now, you’re really fixing to confuse people,” Bell-Robinson said. “But that’s OK because precinct chairs will be on the ground explaining it to our voters.” 

In a late Thursday statement, Erica Lee Carter announced she was “strongly considering” running to fill the remaining weeks of her mother’s congressional term. She said she would announce her decision next week.

The filing deadline is Aug. 22, after the Democratic nominee will be chosen by the precinct chairs. 

The candidate that is selected will face Republican nominee Lana Centonze in the Nov. 5 general election.

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