The race for Houston mayor is headed to a runoff between U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and State Sen. John Whitmire on Dec. 9.
Jackson Lee and Whitmire emerged from a crowded mayoral race that drew 17 candidates to the ballot and one write-in candidate. Crime, crumbling infrastructure, and potential budget shortfalls are some of the issues highlighted by candidates.
If elected, Jackson Lee would be Houston’s first Black female mayor, a meaningful change for America’s fourth-largest city. Since 1995, she has represented Houston in Congress. Whitmire has lapped his rivals in fundraising after five decades in the Texas Legislature, where he has helped drive tough-on-crime policies while also casting himself as a reformer.
Jackson Lee told supporters on Election night that she’s focused on providing for the needs of families and children as well as prioritizing public safety, creating more jobs for residents and showing she can be a mayor “for all of the people.”
Whitmire told his supporters that while he’s focused on bringing attention to concerns residents have over infrastructure and public safety, the city’s “best days are in front of us.”
Jackson Lee and Whitmire — two of Houston’s main political fixtures — spent months dominating the open mayoral race that drew 17 candidates on the ballot and a write-in candidate. But neither could pass the threshold of more than 50% of the vote, which is necessary to avoid a runoff. In early tabulations, Whitmire had about 43% of the vote to Jackson-Lee’s 36%.
Whitmire and Jackson Lee are seeking to replace Mayor Sylvester Turner, who has served eight years and can’t run again because of term limits.Houston’s mayor will lead what is considered one of the country’s most diverse cities. Of the city’s 2.3 million residents, 45% are Latino, 23% are Black and 24% are white. One in every four Houston residents was born outside the U.S.
City Controller
Also on the runoff ballot will be two former Harris County officials seeking to be the Houston City Controller. Chris Hollins polled roughly 45% of the vote and Orlando Sanchez 27%, both shy of the 50% of the vote plus one needed to win outright in the first round.
City Council
Most of the council members who were running easily held onto their seats. But Mary Nan Huffman will have to fight during a runoff to hang on to her District G seat. Texas attorney Tony Buzbee drew enough support from voters to force a runoff. Huffman finished the night with 49.4 percent of the vote to Buzbee’s 41.3 percent, less than a percentage point shy of the 50-percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff.
Propositions
Houston-area voters approved all three local propositions on the ballot.
Proposition A passed by 83 percent of Houston voters, will give council members more power to place items on weekly city council agendas. With the propositions passage, three or more city council members will have the power to add items to agendas. Previously, only the mayor had the power to place items on council agendas.Outgoing Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has publicly criticized the move in the past. Now Houston’s newest undetermined Mayor will be charged with assisting council members to add additional items on agendas in the future.
Proposition B was approved by nearly 66 percent of Proposition B, which would compel proportionality in the city’s regional government organization, and give Houston a bigger role on decision-making.The proposition will require the city to pull out of the Houston-Galveston Area Council unless the organization grants the city proportional representation. The move will add language to the city’s charter requiring that any council of government or metropolitan planning organization adopt a population proportional voting system, according to Fair for Houston. The effort will encourage regional voice on decisions about transportation, flood control efforts and childcare vouchers, according to the organization.
Harris County- Proposition A will allocate $2.5 billion to build a new public hospital. More than half of the money from the bond would be used to build a new trauma hospital and provide mental healthcare services at LBJ, Esmaeil Porsa, CEO of the Harris Health System, said. Porsa said the money would keep the county’s hospitals from falling apart.Those dollars could also go towards establishing new community clinics in northwest, southwest and east community clinics to reach high-density, low socio-economic communities. Money from the bond will also be used to add more inpatient rooms at the Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital.
Election issues
Voting in the Houston area, a Democratic stronghold in GOP-led Texas, was under additional scrutiny this election following a new law signed this year by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The law clears the way for the state to take control of voting in Harris County, which includes Houston, if it determines there is a “recurring pattern of problems” with elections.
Another new state law eliminated the county’s elections administrator and transferred the responsibility to other local officials.Harris County election officials said there were some problems at polling locations, including issues with voting machines, which can cause long lines, and ballot scanners. But none of the problems severely disrupted voting and 93% of the county’s 701 voting centers were open by 7 a.m., officials said.
One of the officials now responsible for running local elections, Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, said her office had a plan in place to deal with problems, including assigning a technician to every voting location and promptly dealing with calls for help.“Today, I feel like it’s been fairly smooth,” Hudspeth said.
Voter turnout up
More than 435,000 voters showed up at the polls, Hudspeth said, and that includes more than 211,000 who voted in-person on Election Day itself. Typically, less voters show up for runoff elections.
Jackson Lee told supporters Tuesday night that she’s focused on providing for the needs of families and children as well as prioritizing public safety, creating more jobs for residents and showing she can be a mayor “for all of the people.”
Whitmire told his supporters that while he’s focused on bringing attention to concerns residents have over infrastructure and public safety, the city’s “best days are in front of us.”
Jackson Lee and Whitmire — two of Houston’s main political fixtures — spent months dominating the open mayoral race that drew 17 candidates on the ballot and a write-in candidate. But neither could pass the threshold of more than 50% of the vote, which is necessary to avoid a runoff. In early tabulations, Whitmire had about 43% of the vote to Jackson-Lee’s 36%.
Jackson Lee, 73, and Whitmire, 74, have touted their experience in a race to lead one of the youngest major cities in the U.S.
Their high profiles and fundraising prowess left the other candidates scrambling to get any traction in the race.
About two weeks before the election, Jackson Lee’s campaign had to contend with the release of an unverified audio recording, which is purported to capture her berating staff members with a barrage of expletives.
Booming growth over the last decade has caused municipal headaches but has also turned the Houston area into an expanding stronghold for Texas Democrats. Although the mayoral race is nonpartisan, most of the candidates are Democrats.
Voting in the Houston area, a Democratic stronghold in GOP-led Texas, was under additional scrutiny on Tuesday following a new law signed this year by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The law clears the way for the state to take control of voting in Harris County, which includes Houston, if it determines there is a “recurring pattern of problems” with elections. Another new state law eliminated the county’s elections administrator and transferred the responsibility to other local officials.
Harris County election officials said there were some problems at polling locationson Tuesday, including issues with voting machines, which can cause long lines, and ballot scanners. But none of the problems severely disrupted voting on Tuesday and 93% of the county’s 701 voting centers were open by 7 a.m., officials said.
One of the officials now responsible for running local elections, Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, said her office had a plan in place to deal with Tuesday’s problems, including assigning a technician to every voting location and promptly dealing with calls for help.
“Today, I feel like it’s been fairly smooth,” Hudspeth said. “Today has been a good day.”
Houston and the state’s other large, Democratic-led cities are also challenging a new law that erodes their power to impose local rules on everything from tenant evictions to employee sick leave.
Whitmire and Jackson Lee are seeking to replace Mayor Sylvester Turner, who has served eight years and can’t run again because of term limits.
Houston’s mayor will lead what is considered one of the country’s most diverse cities. Of the city’s 2.3 million residents, 45% are Latino, 23% are Black and 24% are white. One in every four Houston residents was born outside the U.S.
Known as the energy capital of the world, Houston’s economy has long been tied mainly to the oil industry. But the city is working to become a leader in the transition to cleaner energy. Like other large U.S. cities, Houston is also dealing with a lack of affordable housing and concerns among residents over growing gaps between the rich and poor.
City Controller
In the race for city controller, by press time, Chris Hollins has 48%, compared to 36% for Orlando Sanchez. If neither candidate garner 50%, they too will head to a runoff.
A lot of people are also watching the District G city council race, where well-known attorney Tony Buzbee challenged incumbent Mary Nan Huffman. In early results, Huffman leads Buzbee 51% to 41%.
Texas voters are deciding on 14 statewide propositions.
The closely watched Prop 4, which could lower your property taxes, is passing with 84% of Texans voting yes. It would raise the homestead exemption for Texas homeowners from $40,000 to $100,000.
Proposition 9 to give retired teachers a cost-of-living adjustment is also passing overwhelmingly.
