Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who boasts a distinguished career in the U.S. House of Representatives of nearly 30 years, announced that she is campaigning to make history as she runs to become the next mayor of Houston.
If successful, Jackson Lee would become the third Black mayor and the first Black woman to serve in that capacity for America’s fourth-largest city, according to KHOU 11 News in Houston.
Jackson Lee broke the news at the City Cathedral Church in Houston, saying, “Sheila Jackson Lee wants to come home to be your mayor for the city of Houston. I will not be able to do it without each and every one of you.”
The 73-year-old Jackson Lee is an attorney who graduated from Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law, and practiced law before going into politics. She was first elected 29 years ago and has been re-elected 12 times as the representative of the 18th Congressional District of Texas.
The legendary congresswoman is renowned for her staunch advocacy of civil rights, criminal justice reform, and reparations. She is currently serving on several House committees, most particularly for the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on the Judiciary.
ABC 13 in Houston reports that Jackson Lee is entering a crowded field of candidates to succeed current Mayor Sylvester Turner, who is prohibited from running again due to term limits. Others who are campaigning to the the next CEO of Houston include:
- Texas state Sen. John Whitmire, who is considered to be the frontrunner, according to ABC 13;
- City Council member Amanda Edwards, who was backed by Beyoncé’s mother during her run for the U.S. Senate in 2019;
- Former Harris County clerk Chris Collins;
- Former chairman of the city’s Metropolitan Transit Authority, Gilbert Garcia.
