Rep. Jackson Lee, state Sen. Whitmire likely favorites as Houston selects next mayor

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• Houston residents cast their votes Tuesday in an open mayoral race in which 17 candidates appear on the ballot.
• U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire, both Democrats, have emerged as the near-certain top two candidates in the officially nonpartisan election.
• Should no single candidate receive more than half of all votes cast, the top two will advance to a Dec. 9 runoff.

Voters in Houston headed to the polls Tuesday to elect the next mayor of the nation’s fourth-largest city, choosing from a crowded field that includes U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire, two longtime Democratic lawmakers.

Jackson Lee and Whitmire have dominated an open mayoral race that drew 17 candidates to the ballot and one write-in candidate, and that has been focused on issues of crime, crumbling infrastructure and potential budget shortfalls.

If elected, Jackson Lee would be Houston’s first Black female mayor. Since 1995, she has represented Houston in Congress. Whitmire has spent five decades in the Texas Legislature, where he has helped drive policies that were tough on crime while casting himself as a reformer.

HILLARY-ENDORSED CANDIDATE FOR HOUSTON MAYOR SHEILA JACKSON LEE BERATES STAFF IN PROFANITY-LACED TIRADE

If no candidate manages to get more than half of the vote on Tuesday, the top two will head to a runoff, which would be held Dec. 9.

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee speaks as student loan borrowers and advocates gather for the People's Rally To Cancel Student Debt During The Supreme Court Hearings On Student Debt Relief on February 28, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Peoples Rally to Cancel Student Debt)

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.

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 in Houston has caused municipal headaches but has also turned the area into an expanding stronghold for Texas Democrats. Although the mayoral race is nonpartisan, most of the candidates are Democrats.

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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.