Former Houston mayor may run for Congress

HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports that former Mayor Sylvester Turner said he is seriously considering running for the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s seat in Congress. “I am giving it serious consideration,” Turner told the Chronicle, adding that he would make a final decision soon. Turner told KHOU, which was first to report Turner’s interest, that “only the passing of his friend at this critical junction would cause him to come out of retirement,” according to the station. The former mayor is expected to make a decision in the coming days. Jackson Lee, 74, died Friday after announcing earlier this year she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A lion in Houston politics, Jackson Lee had served the 18th Congressional District since 1995, known for her relentless drive and near ubiquitous appearances at community events in the district.

The Democratic congresswoman had defeated former City Council Member Amanda Edwards in a primary in March and was likely to cruise to reelection in November. Now Democratic Party precinct chairs in the district will select a new candidate for the November ballot. Gov. Greg Abbott could call a special election as well, to fill the rest of the congresswoman’s term through this year, though it is not certain he will do so. State Reps. Jolanda Jones and Jarvis Johnson are among the current elected officials who serve in districts overlapping with the late congresswoman’s district. Johnson announced Tuesday his bid for Jackson Lee’s seat. Bishop James Dixon, a longtime friend of Jackson Lee’s family whose church held a prayer vigil for the late congresswoman before her passing, told the Chronicle on Tuesday that many in his community have encouraged him to run for the seat. He said he is humbled by the possibility of continuing Jackson Lee’s legacy in the district and that he is “thinking about it very seriously and praying about it even more seriously.” Former City Council Member Dwight Boykins, a district resident and friend of the late congresswoman, also confirmed his interest in the race on Tuesday. He said, however, that he does not yet wish to make an official announcement out of respect for Jackson Lee and her family.