Sheila Jackson Lee faces short deadline to decide her political future after losing Houston’s mayoral election

HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 28: Sheila Jackson Lee speaks on stage during the Urban League Whitney M. Young Jr. awards gala at George R. Brown Convention Center on July 28, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images) (Marcus Ingram, 2023 Marcus Ingram)

HOUSTON – After being defeated in the runoff election for Houston Mayor on Saturday, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee faces a Monday deadline to decide whether to run for Congress again.

State Senator John Whitmire won the Houston mayoral runoff election by a margin of 64% to Jackson Lee’s 36%.

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Jackson Lee conceded the election to Whitmire Saturday night and congratulated him on being the next mayor of Houston.

Jackson Lee, 73, said she planned to announce in the near future whether she will run for re-election next year. She has until 6 p.m. Monday to file or decide to retire from Congress.

Jackson Lee has served as the U.S. Representative for Texas’ 18th Congressional District since 1995.


About the Author

Christian Terry covered digital news in Tyler and Wichita Falls before returning to the Houston area where he grew up. He is passionate about weather and the outdoors and often spends his days off on the water fishing.

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