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Elections in Texas |
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The 2023 Houston mayoral election was held on November 7, 2023, with a runoff on December 9 because no candidate won a majority of the vote in the first round. It was held to elect the mayor of Houston, Texas. Incumbent Democratic mayor Sylvester Turner was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term in office. Municipal elections in Texas are officially nonpartisan. [1]
Two longtime fixtures of Houston politics, state senator John Whitmire and U.S. representative Sheila Jackson Lee, advanced to the runoff. Both were Democrats, though Whitmire had drawn support from some Republicans while Turner endorsed Jackson Lee as his successor. Polls of the runoff consistently showed wide leads for Whitmire. Candidates eliminated in the first round include bond investor Gilbert Garcia and former at-large city councilor Jack Christie, the leading Republican candidate.
Whitmire prevailed in the runoff, defeating Jackson Lee in a landslide victory. [2]
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Some candidates have not filed financial disclosures. Those who have are listed below:
Campaign finance reports as of January 3, 2023 [10] | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Raised | |
Amanda Edwards | $1,100,000 | |
Chris Hollins | $1,400,000 | |
Lee Kaplan | $1,300,000 | |
John Whitmire | $1,100,000 | |
Robin Williams | $189,000 |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [b] | Margin of error | Jack Christie | Amanda Edwards | Gilbert Garcia | Robert Gallegos | Chris Hollins | Sheila Jackson Lee | Lee Kaplan | MJ Khan | John Whitmire | Other | Undecided |
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University of Houston [64] | September 30–October 6, 2023 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5 | 4% | – | 4% | 1% | – | 31% | 2% | 1% | 34% | 1% | 22% |
University of Houston [65] | July 12–20, 2023 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5 | – | – | 3% | 2% | – | 32% | 2% | 2% | 34% | 3% [c] | 22% |
Ragnar Research Partners [66] [A] | February 21–23, 2023 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.0% | – | 4% | – | 4% | 5% | 19% | – | – | 20% | 2% | 46% |
Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
John Whitmire | 107,410 | 42.50 | |
Sheila Jackson Lee | 90,093 | 35.64 | |
Gilbert Garcia | 18,220 | 7.21 | |
Jack Christie | 17,364 | 6.87 | |
Lee Kaplan | 6,645 | 2.63 | |
Robert Gallegos | 2,679 | 1.06 | |
M.J. Khan | 2,478 | 0.98 | |
Annie "Mama" Garcia | 1,979 | 0.78 | |
Julian "Bemer" Antonio Martinez | 1,813 | 0.72 | |
Roy Vasquez | 1,083 | 0.43 | |
M. "Griff" Griffin | 674 | 0.27 | |
Kathy Lee Tatum | 532 | 0.21 | |
David C. Lowy | 368 | 0.15 | |
Chanel Mbala | 356 | 0.14 | |
Naoufal Houjami | 352 | 0.14 | |
Gaylon S. Caldwell | 331 | 0.13 | |
B. Ivy | 287 | 0.11 | |
Robin Williams | 95 | 0.04 | |
Total votes | 252,759 | 100.00% |
Endorsements in bold were made after the first round.
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Pollster | Date(s) administered | Sample size [b] | Margin of error | Sheila Jackson Lee | John Whitmire | Undecided | Would not vote |
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Survey USA [74] | November 13–18, 2023 | 805 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 35% | 42% | 22% | – |
University of Houston [64] | September 30 – October 6, 2023 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 36% | 50% | 9% | 5% |
University of Houston [65] | July 12–20, 2023 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 33% | 51% | 13% | 3% |
Ragnar Research Partners [66] [A] | February 21–23, 2023 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 33% | 45% | 22% | – |
Pollster | Date(s) administered | Sample size [b] | Margin of error | Amanda Edwards | John Whitmire | Undecided |
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Ragnar Research Partners [66] [A] | February 21–23, 2023 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 17% | 41% | 43% |
Pollster | Date(s) administered | Sample size [b] | Margin of error | Chris Hollins | John Whitmire | Undecided |
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Ragnar Research Partners [66] [A] | February 21–23, 2023 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 14% | 39% | 47% |
Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
John Whitmire | 129,495 | 64.42 | |
Sheila Jackson Lee | 71,523 | 35.58 | |
Total votes | 201,018 | 100.00% |
Shortly after her loss, Jackson Lee filed to run for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives on December 11, 2023. [78] [79] She would win the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024, but died on July 19, 2024. [80] Despite their previous rivalry, Whitmire would pay tribute to Lee, recalling how they worked together during the 2024 derecho. [81] Whitmire would also deliver opening remarks when Lee would lie in state at Houston City Hall on July 29, 2024. [82] Turner replaced Jackson Lee as the Democratic nominee and would go on to win in the same seat at the District 18 House election in November 2024 to succeed her. [83]
Partisan clients
So far, Jackson Lee has gained endorsements from Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, the Houston Federation of Teachers, and even former professional basketball player Magic Johnson.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)On Saturday, former Houston Mayor Kathy Whitmire, who was married to John Whitmire's late brother, endorsed Jackson Lee, who served as an at-large council member during Kathy Whitmire's mayoral tenure in the 1990s.
On the other hand, District B Councilmember Tarsha Jackson, who was reelected with 62 percent of the district's vote in November, endorsed Whitmire last week.
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