Democratic leaders nominate former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to fill US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's open seat

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s next step in politics may lead him to Capitol Hill.

Democratic leaders chose Turner, a former Texas state lawmaker, as the party’s nominee in November’s 18th Texas Congressional District race, taking the place of longtime seat holder Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who died last month.

Jackson Lee represented District 18 and Houston in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly three decades.

“You can’t replace Sheila Jackson Lee. You can’t. But you can certainly commit yourself to continuing to do the work,” Turner told ABC13 after the vote. “It’s my goal to bridge us from where we are now to that next leg, where those who are younger than I can step up and serve in a very effective way.”

Turner was among 17 candidates vying for the nomination. He advances to the November ballot and will be in a race different from the person who will finish out Jackson Lee’s current term. At the meeting the night before, precinct chairs selected six nominees. One of them, State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, threw his support behind former city council member Amanda Edwards when he saw he couldn’t win.

Johnson wanted to see a younger candidate who could earn seniority in Congress, given that Turner had said he would serve up to two terms.

“I really believe that at this time, the torch has to be passed,” Johnson said.

After the first vote, none had the majority. The top two candidates, Edwards and Turner, faced each other in a runoff. Turner won.

Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who is among 17 hopefuls for the late Sheila Jackson Lee’s congressional seat, got the backing of her children.

The winner of the November race will serve the whole two-year term to represent District 18 beginning in January.

At the same time, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for a separate special election on Election Day, Nov. 5, to determine who will carry out the current term, which ends in January. That means voters will vote twice on the same ballot for the same position but for two different terms.

Candidates have until Aug. 22 to file for that race.

Among the candidates to finish the term is Jackson Lee’s daughter, Erica Lee Carter. She announced on Monday that she intended to run in the special election to “finish for my mom.”

After the vote, Lee Carter joined Turner.

“It’s so important to have someone ready to take on what my mother was trying to carry. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee – she loved (Turner) like a brother but worked with him like a fighter. And there is no one else she would want in the fight,” Lee Carter said.

Family, friends, and fellow politicians gathered to honor Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee at a celebration of life service in Houston on Thursday.