With a wide lead, incumbent Sylvester Turner wins Houston mayoral runoff election

HOUSTON – Hundreds of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s supporters cheered loud and balloons dropped at George R. Brown Convention Center to celebrate the win around 10:15 p.m. Turner was elated to see his victory over millionaire and lawyer Tony Buzbee.

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Turner and Buzbee both spoke to supporters Saturday night.

Turner says the win feels great

Turner came out glowing with happiness seeing that he had led the early voting results.

The mayor said it’s the results he showed to Houstonians that have allowed him to take the win and to do it again. He noted achievements with pension reform, Harvey and his push to represent everyone as reasons why voters may have favored him. He hopes to inspire others.

He said what will make him win again is the results he’s brought the last four years and confident he will do it again.

“You may not have as much money, but that’s okay. You may not live in the biggest house, but that’s okay. You may not drive the fancy cars, but that’s okay. Because you can still compete in the same race and you can win,” Turner said.

Turner also talked about prominent issues that he’s worked on, which he believes have helped his campaign.

“I think what also people recognize, what people like, is that they want you to represent everybody," Turner said. "Whether people vote for you, don’t vote for you. Whether you’re democrat, republican, independent. Regardless of your ethnicity, your sexual orientation. People want to feel their mayor represents them. That’s what we have sought to do over the last four years, that’s not going to change.”

Buzbee speaks to supporters

While he didn’t concede, Tony Buzzbee spoke to voters, saying he would accept the results of tonight’s mayoral election and acknowledging he probably wouldn’t win.

The millionaire lawyer and businessman spoke to supporters at his election night party around 9:30 p.m. Early voting results showed him trailing incumbent mayor Sylvester Turner by a large margin.

Tony Buzbee has defined his campaign as being a successful outsider who wants to root out corruption. Although he’s avoided partisan titles, he has recently received support from Republicans.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry appeared in a robocall for him.

Buzbee, a former chair of the Democratic party in Galveston, hosted a fundraiser for President Donald Trump at his River Oaks estate in 2016.

Buzbee turned down political donations, choosing to self-finance his campaign. He spent roughly $9 million of his own dollars just to make it to this runoff with incumbent Sylvester Turner.

Buzbee said whatever the results of this election were, he already won by forcing an incumbent Houston mayor into a runoff for the first time in nearly two decades.

“If it turns out that Mayor Turner is reelected, I wish him nothing but the best, because our city depends on it,” Buzbee said. “I love this city, and if he becomes the next mayor, if he’s reelected, I offer my help to him in any way to help him solve the seemingly unsolvable problems that we face. Let’s be clear. I will not leave the fight. I will not leave the fight.”

Buzbee said he wants to continue working with firefighters. He was endorsed by the fire fighter’s union in Houston. The union has been in a dispute with Mayor Turner over pay.