Turner won the 2015 election,[4] defeating Bill King in the runoff by 4,082 votes out of 212,696 votes cast in the closest mayoral election in Houston history by percentage.[5] On December 14, 2019, Turner won his second term as mayor over the more conservative Tony Buzbee, 56-44 percent in a turn out of less than 20 percent of registered voters. In 2024, after the death of Sheila Jackson Lee, Turner announced his candidacy to fill her congressional seat and was nominated at the subsequent convention.[6] He was then elected in November 2024 and will take office in January 2025.[7]
In 1984, Turner ran for Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 1 in the Democratic primary, but lost to El Franco Lee. Four years later, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in House District 139 in Harris County and remained in office through 2014. During that time, Turner ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Houston in 1991 and 2003.[14]
During his 1991 campaign for Houston mayor, Wayne Dolcefino of KTRK-TV ran an investigative report questioning Turner's involvement in an elaborate insurance fraud scam. The resulting scandal ultimately cost Turner the election. Turner sued Dolcefino and KTRK and was initially awarded a $5.5 million libel settlement that was reduced to $3.25 million by the presiding judge. KTRK appealed the ruling. The Texas Supreme Court overturned the money award based on heightened legal protections that the First Amendment affords to the media. However, the court found that both of these specific broadcasts were both false and defamatory.[15]
Turner with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in January 2017.
Turner served more than 25 years in the Texas House of Representatives, and throughout his service, he served as a member of the Legislative Budget Board, Vice-Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Chairman of the Subcommittee of Articles 1, 4 & 5 (General Government, Judiciary, Public Safety & Criminal Justice) and the House State Affairs Committee. He also chaired the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Greater Houston Area Legislative Delegation.[16] Turner has supported policies to attract doctors to underserved areas,[17] proposed a measure increasing state funding for mental health services in Harris County from $32 million to $200 million,[18] and worked to increase funds for legal aid for poor Texans.[19]
When Turner's eight year tenure as mayor ended on January 1, 2024, the city was in a dire financial state.[23] The city was spending $100 to $200 million more than what it was bringing in each year.[24][25]
Following the death of Sheila Jackson Lee, which vacated Texas's 18th congressional district, Turner announced his candidacy in the Democratic primary to fill her seat[26] and was nominated at the convention.[6]
Ride sharing mobile apps
In 2016, Turner voiced his support for stricter laws regulating Uber and other ridesharing services. Texas in 2016 led the country in drunk driving fatalities, according to data collected by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in 2016. MADD said there were 1,438 traffic fatalities in Texas involving drunk driving in 2016.[27]
LGBT rights
In 2015, Turner was named one of the top 10 best members of the Texas House on LGBT issues by Equality Texas with an "A+" rating,[28] after Turner said he had "evolved" on LGBT issues.[29]
Turner discussing Houston's path to becoming a smart city at an event by New America in January 2019.
In 1999, Turner voted to restructure the electric utility industry in Texas to allow customers competition and consumer choice.[31] During his time in the legislature, he also worked to continue to protect Texans, voting for bills preventing gas companies from cutting off service during freezing temperatures,[32] limiting the amount utility companies could raise rates in order to fund certain projects, such as building electric poles and wires, without first getting approval from state regulators,[33] and authoring legislation that required the Public Utility Commission to conduct cost-benefit analyses of any proposals from utility companies that would add more than $100 million to annual consumer electricity costs.[34] During the 84th session, Turner authored legislation that would prohibit electricity companies from charging customers "minimum usage fees" when they used too little electricity.[35] Turner also voted to allow the Public Utility Commission to issue emergency cease-and-desist orders, without first going to a court, to companies whose actions threaten the state's electricity supply.[36] During the 83rd session, he joined a campaign to encourage low-income Texans to enroll in "LITE-UP Texas", a program "authorized by the Texas Legislature through which participants could reduce the monthly cost of electric service by 82%."[37] In the 84th session, he authored a bill to extend this discount program for another two years, until the end of 2017.[38] He also co-authored a bill to help ensure persons living in multi-family residences are alerted when their electricity bill has not been paid.[39]
Public education
In 2004, he voted against a measure that would have scaled "back benefits for future public school employees and discourag[ed] early retirement."[40] He was also critical of investment managers for the Teachers Retirement Fund for taking over $8.2 million in bonuses while the state was slashing funding for education and the system's investments continued to struggle.[41] In 2011, Turner voted against a measure that would have implemented a 6 percent cut to education funding for all schools in Texas, a move that equated to a $4 billion education funding cut.[42] As a member of the legislature, Turner voted against a measure that would allow school districts to lower their salaries, implement furlough days,[43] and increase student-teacher classroom ratios.[44] He also opposed a corporate tax break that many legislators, in the Texas House of Representatives, believed would hurt public school funding.[45]
Immigration
Texas has banned sanctuary cities,[46] but Mayor Turner said that Houston will not assist ICE agents with immigration raids.[47]
Hurricane Harvey
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Mayor Turner received criticism for his decision not to suggest any form of evacuation. He responded to the criticism by pointing out the logistics of evacuating "6.5 million" people and the deaths and traffic that occurred during the 2005 Hurricane Rita evacuation. Critics have replied stating that 6.5 million people did not have to be evacuated but instead tens of thousands could have been evacuated who were in flood zones or individuals who were most at risk during emergencies could have been evacuated.[48][49][50][51]
Health care
A supporter of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), Turner voted against joining the Interstate Health Care Compact, an alternative to traditional ACA participation,[52] and introduced legislation that would expand Medicaid in Texas pursuant to the ACA.[53] Turner warned fellow legislators about the potential backlash from constituents if the state chose not to expand Medicaid, which promised a significant return on the state's investment.[54] One of his major accomplishments in the House was legislation that expanded access to the children's health insurance program, which was passed in 2007.[13] Turner also passed legislation in 2015 that will free up funding for medical trauma care centers, which have not received the full amount of funds designated to be spent specifically on trauma centers. The legislation will bring $25 million to the Greater Houston area over the next two years, including $11 million to Ben Taub and $10 million to the Memorial Hermann.[55] During the 84th Legislature, Turner introduced legislation that would provide care under Medicaid for people with severe and persistent mental illness and who are transitioning from an institution to the community, and who are at risk of institutionalization or re-institutionalization.
Turner is a regular attendee of various public health programs, including contributions to COVID-19 safety and community-based health care.[56][57][58]
Abortion
Turner has long been an advocate for abortion rights. He voted against a measure requiring doctors to perform a sonogram on women seeking an abortion at least 24 hours before the procedures.[59] He has also fought to protect funding for family planning programs and Planned Parenthood.[60] Turner also voted against a Senate version of a measure that banned abortions after 20 weeks and tightened standards on abortion clinics,[61] and also authored an amendment to the bill that would have required the state to pay the costs abortion clinics would incur on the measure to retrofit facilities so they could be certified as surgical centers.[62] In 2013, the El Paso Times described Turner as a "lion of pro-abortion rights."[63]
Criminal justice
On gun control, Turner opposed measures to limit lawsuits against gun or ammunition manufacturers,[64] allowing concealed handguns on higher education campuses, and rescinding the authority of local governments to ban concealed weapons on public property.[65] He also opposed measures that would reduce the number of training hours required to receive a concealed handgun license.[66] Turner supported a bill that prohibited the use of state funds for the enforcement of federal firearms regulations.[67] He also advocated abandoning the "pick-a-pal system", where judges appoint commissioners who then can pick whoever they want to serve on grand juries.[68]
Homelessness
As mayor of Houston, Turner made it a goal of his administration to end chronic homelessness in the city.[69] Turner asked the police to start enforcing an ordinance that bans sharing food with homeless people in the city of Houston.[70]
Personal life
Turner is a member of the Church Without Walls.[71] He was married to Cheryl Turner, a former Harris County assistant district attorney, from 1983 to late 1991.[72] They have one daughter, Ashley Page Turner, who married Jimmie Captain in March 2022.[73][74]
In November 2022, Turner disclosed that during the summer he had been diagnosed with bone cancer, for which he had surgery and received six weeks of radiation treatment.[78]
Related Research Articles
Mary Loretta Landrieu is an American entrepreneur and politician who served as a United States senator from Louisiana from 1997 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Landrieu served as the Louisiana State Treasurer from 1988 to 1996, and in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1980 to 1988.
Kathryn Jean Whitmire is an American politician, businesswoman, and accountant best known as the first woman to serve as Mayor of Houston, serving for five consecutive two-year terms from 1982 to 1992. From 1977 to 1981, she was the city controller, a position which made her the first woman elected to any office in the city. Whitmire drew national attention when she defeated former Harris County Sheriff Jack Heard in her election as mayor. The election drew national focus because it symbolized a major political realignment in the fourth-largest city in the United States.
Norvell Kay Granger is an American politician from the U.S. state of Texas serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 12th congressional district since 1997. She is a member of the Republican Party, and was chair of the United States House Committee on Appropriations from 2023 to 2024.
Robert Franklin Deuell, known as Bob Deuell, is a physician from Greenville, Texas, and a former Republican member of the Texas Senate. He entered office in 2003 and represented the ten counties of Senate District 2 in the northeastern portion of the state. His term ended in 2015.
John Harris Whitmire is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 63rd mayor of Houston, the most populous city in Texas, since 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, Whitmire was previously a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1973 until 1983, and the Texas State Senate from 1983 to 2023. In the state senate, he represented District 15, which included much of northern Houston.
Dan Goeb Patrick is an American radio talk show host, television broadcaster, and politician. He has been serving as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Texas since January 2015, under Governor Greg Abbott.
Kirk Preston Watson is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 59th mayor of Austin since 2023, previously holding the office as the 54th mayor from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he ran unsuccessfully for Texas attorney general in the 2002 election, where he was defeated by Republican Greg Abbott, later governor of Texas. In 2006, Watson was elected to the Texas Senate from District 14.
Glenn Allen Hegar Jr. is an American attorney who serves as Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. He was a Republican member of the Texas Senate representing the 18th District, west of Houston. He succeeded fellow Republican Susan Combs as comptroller on January 2, 2015. He was elected Comptroller in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Jarvis Diallo Johnson is an American entrepreneur and politician currently serving in the Texas House of Representatives. A Democrat, he has represented the 139th district since 2016 and previously served on the Houston City Council.
Anthony Glenn Buzbee is an American lawyer and political figure. In 2019, Buzbee ran for mayor of Houston, Texas, but lost to incumbent Sylvester Turner. He also ran for Houston City Council in 2023, but lost to incumbent Mary Nan Huffman.
Charles Brandon Creighton is an American attorney and politician from Conroe, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas Senate from District 4, and a former member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 16.
Richard Wayne Smith, commonly known as Wayne Smith, is a former seven-term Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 128. He was first elected in November 2002 and served until January 2017. On May 24, 2016, Smith was unseated by 23 votes in the Republican runoff election by Briscoe Cain, 3,050 (50.2%) to 3,027 (49.8%).
The 2015 Houston mayoral election was decided by a runoff that took place on December 12, 2015, to elect the Mayor of Houston, Texas. As no candidate won a majority of the vote during the general election on November 3, 2015, the run off was held between the top two finishers, Sylvester Turner, who received 31.31% of the vote, and Bill King, who received 25.27%. In the run-off, Turner edged King, 51% to 49%, to become the 62nd Mayor of Houston.
Ronald Eugene Reynolds is an American politician and disbarred lawyer who represents District 27 in the Texas House of Representatives. He was first elected in 2010. Reynolds is the first African American elected to represent Fort Bend County in the Texas House of Representatives since the Reconstruction era.
Proposition 1 was a referendum held on November 3, 2015, on the anti-discrimination ordinance known as the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO). The ordinance was intended to improve anti-discrimination coverage based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Houston, specifically in areas such as housing and occupation where no anti-discrimination policy existed. Proposition 1 asked voters whether they approved HERO. Houston voters rejected Proposal 1 by a vote of 61% to 39%.
Anderson Drew Ferguson IV is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Georgia's 3rd congressional district. The district stretches from the southern suburbs of Atlanta to the northern suburbs of Columbus, including a sliver of Columbus itself.
The 2019 Houston mayoral election was decided by a runoff that took place on December 14, 2019 to elect the Mayor of Houston. Incumbent mayor Sylvester Turner defeated attorney Tony Buzbee in the runoff by 56.04% to 43.96%. No candidate won a majority of the vote during the general election on November 5, 2019 where Turner received 46% of the vote and Buzbee received 29%.
Christopher George Hollins is an American attorney and politician who is the City Controller of Houston. He previously served as interim Harris County Clerk from June 2020 to November 2020. He is known for overseeing the 2020 United States presidential election in Harris County; many of his policies received resistance from state Republican officials.
Ernest Anthony Gonzales II is an American politician and United States Navy veteran who has served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2021, representing over 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. He is a member of the Republican Party.
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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
