Democratic State Senator Defeats U.S. Representative in Houston Mayoral Race
Democratic state Sen. John Whitmire emerged victorious in Houston's closely-watched mayoral race, defeating Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee on Saturday night, as reported by the Associated Press.
With a commanding lead, Whitmire secured 65.27% of the votes, while Jackson Lee trailed behind with 34.73%.
In the final week leading up to the mayoral runoff election, an advertisement for Jackson Lee urged city residents to vote on or before December 7th. However, the runoff election took place on Saturday, and the early voting period had already ended on December 5th, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Upon realizing the mistake, Jackson Lee's office promptly pulled the ad. They clarified that the ad had been created by an external advertising agency, not the campaign itself, as reported by Houston Public Media.
This erroneous ad and the lack of awareness regarding the election date reflect the overall state of the mayoral race in Houston, which is expected to have a low turnout. This election serves as the final major election of 2023 in America's fourth-largest city.
In the race for Houston mayor, veteran Congresswoman Jackson Lee was trailing behind Whitmire, a public servant with over 50 years of experience. Both candidates emerged as the top two vote-getters in the general election held on November 7th, which featured a total of 17 candidates. Whitmire secured 43% of the vote, while Jackson Lee received 36%. Voter turnout was at 21% among Houston's 1.2 million registered voters. The current mayor, Sylvester Turner, is term-limited, leading to this closely watched race.
Despite the anticipation surrounding the election, political experts have described the campaign as "sleepy" and lacking in excitement. Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, noted the absence of partisanship and fireworks that have characterized previous mayoral races. The numbers have remained relatively unchanged since the November election, with a SurveyUSA Research poll conducted on behalf of the University of Houston showing Whitmire leading Jackson Lee 42% to 35%.
Although the race was nonpartisan, both Whitmire and Jackson Lee are Democrats. Jackson Lee secured endorsements from prominent figures such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. However, these endorsements did not significantly impact the race, according to Rottinghaus.
On the other hand, Whitmire garnered support from influential local figures, including Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, former Houston City Councilman Jack Christie, and Republican megadonor Tilman Fertitta. As Houston is known for its diversity, winning the mayor's office requires building a coalition of voters from various backgrounds.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Turner's victory in 2015 was largely influenced by Black voters and get-out-the-vote efforts. However, Jackson Lee, who is running to become the city's first Black female mayor, has struggled to mobilize the same level of support from Black voters, resulting in lower voter turnout in precincts with high numbers of Black voters.
Despite Whitmire emphasizing his Democratic party credentials, he actively sought support from Republicans and had significant backing from GOP donors. A University of Houston poll indicated that Whitmire had a 56-point advantage among Republicans, which could be crucial in a city where the Republican vote holds weight, even though Houston leans Democratic.
Whitmire, who is White, also made efforts to court the Latino vote and had a 20-point advantage among Latino voters, who make up approximately 45% of the city's population, according to the University of Houston poll.
While Houston is a relatively young city, the average age of Houstonian voters is 62, as stated by Rottinghaus. Crime has been a major local concern, and both candidates pledged to retain Police Chief Troy Finner during the final debate.
In a contentious race, two weeks before the general election, leaked audio revealed Jackson Lee apparently berating a staffer using profanity.
"I know I am not perfect," she said in a statement in response.
As Rottinghaus noted, they added a poll question in November about the leaked audio, and while most people said it didn't make a difference, a "sizeable percentage" said it did. Those people tended to be younger and in particular, younger women — two groups that Jackson Lee needed to win.
In addition to the leaked audio, Jackson Lee went into the runoff election with high unfavorables. An October poll from the Hobby School at the University of Houston.
But Whitmire has been dogged by allegations of conflict of interest as a state senator. According to the Houston Chronicle, Whitmire has been accused of blurring the line between public and private roles. Whitmire has maintained that the Legislature is part-time and has a salary of $7,200 a year, making avoiding conflicts of interest impossible.
Mayoral Race Final Debate
"The major difference is when I'm mayor, I'll be a full-time mayor. I won't have a law practice," Whitmire said at the debate earlier this week. "A bunch of the Chronicle issues I could dispute but it's not necessary. It involved the practice of law. Most of those allegations arrived in previous campaigns. We make $600 a month as a senator. … You have to have civilian jobs, that's where most of that was arrived at."
Harris County Under State Audits
Harris County, which includes Houston, has been targeted with state audits in 2022 and 2023 over voting and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law this year that removed Harris County's elections administrator and transferred the responsibility to other local officials. This election has been the first election with the new system.
