In a close race, former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner won the Democrat nomination to replace the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee on the upcoming November ballot.
Jackson Lee died following a bout with pancreatic cancer last month. As a result, Democrat precinct chairs in her congressional district held a vote to determine who would replace her on the November ballot.
In a race where the eligible voters were 88 precinct chairs, 79 attended. Within the 18th Congressional District, six candidates were nominated in the first round to win the Democrat nomination.
Former Mayor Sylvester Turner came in first with 35 votes and former City Councilmember Amanda Edwards, who challenged Jackson Lee in the March Democrat Primary, came in second with 34 votes. Houston City Councilmember Letitia Plummer received 5 votes, State Rep. Christina Morales won 3 votes, and outgoing State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, who in his candidate speech accused the campaigns of “voter intimidation” of precinct chairs, won 2 votes and subsequently endorsed Edwards.
Since no candidates received a majority, the precinct chairs returned for second-round speeches from the two top candidates and another round of voting. Turner won 41-37 in the second round.
In his acceptance speech, Turner said, “We have some work to do between now and November, let’s make sure that we turn Texas blue.” He added, “And, it’s my hope that the 18th Congressional District will lead the way.”
Turner will face Republican Lana Centonze in the 2024 General Election, which is slated for Tuesday, November 5.
