John Whitmire Wins Houston Mayoral Race

State Senator Defeats U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee in Runoff Election

Texas state Senator John Whitmire has won the Houston mayoral race, defeating U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee in a runoff election.
Whitmire, who has served in the Texas Legislature for over 50 years, focused his campaign on reducing crime, improving city infrastructure and services, and fostering better relations between Houston and the Republican-controlled state government.
Jackson Lee, who has represented Houston in Congress since 1995, faced challenges in the race including a leaked audio recording of her berating staffers and a campaign ad that mistakenly promoted the wrong voting day.
Whitmire heavily outspent Jackson Lee in the campaign and received support from a broad coalition of voters, including Republicans, moderate white Democrats, and Hispanic and Asian voters.
Whitmire will succeed term-limited incumbent Sylvester Turner, a former Democratic state lawmaker who had endorsed Jackson Lee in the runoff.