With unofficial results in from all voting centers and polling places across Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend counties, Democratic state Sen. John Whitmire has won the race to be the next mayor of Houston.
Whitmire finished with 64.4% of the votes, or 129,495, while his opponent, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, finished with 35.6% of the votes, or 71,523 votes.
All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Updated 10:52 p.m.
Unofficial results show John Whitmire defeating Sheila Jackson Lee in the race for Houston Mayor. As results come in from Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend counties, Whitmire has maintained a lead from early voting with roughly 64% of the votes, or 91,347 votes.
Meanwhile, Jackson Lee has 36% of the votes, or 51,322 votes. Roughly 85 of 450 voting centers have reported results in Harris County, where the vast majority of the city of Houston is located.
"Voters have spoken, and I am humbly grateful to the people of Houston for electing me as their next mayor," Whitmire said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, as results came in on election night. "While this marks the beginning of the true challenge ahead, as you all know, my only reason for running was to make a difference. I’m fired up to get started."
All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Posted 7:50 p.m. Dec. 9
With early voting results in, John Whitmire is leading Sheila Jackson Lee in the race to be Houston’s next mayor.
Whitmire has 64.4% of the votes, or 85,979 votes, compared to Jackson Lee's 35.6%, or 47,543 votes.
The backstory
The two candidates are squaring off after coming out on top of a 17-person race that took place during the Nov. 7 election. Whitmire finished on top of that race with 43% of the votes, while Jackson Lee received 34.8% of the votes.
Since neither candidate received more than 50% of the votes in that race, a runoff election was called for the top two vote-getters.
Meet the candidates
Whitmire has served as a state senator in Texas representing the Houston area for 40 years. In a Q&A with Community Impact in October, Whitmire said his top priorities for his first year in office would include improving public safety, improving city infrastructure and services, and working on the city's permitting office.
"I’m a public servant," Whitmire said. "As mayor I can make a more direct impact. Together we can improve our neighborhoods with better streets, garbage pickup, flood control, a more affordable Houston."
Jackson Lee has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for District 18 in Houston since 1995. In a Q&A, Jackson Lee said her top priorities for her first year in office would involve reducing crime, permitting reform, creating more affordable housing and improving infrastructure. She touted her accomplishments and experience in other government positions, which have included time as a Houston City Council member.
“I have impacted every bayou in the city of Houston providing flood mitigation federal funding; I have been a leader in securing federal housing dollars,” she said. "I am known for working hard and delivering results. I want to lead Houston into the future."
Zooming out
The winning candidate will replace current Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who is term-limited. Turner was first elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019.
Houston’s next mayor will oversee the city’s departments as well as weekly meetings of the Houston City Council, a 16-member body that governs the city, including passing city ordinances and approving the annual city budget.
What else?
Prior to the Nov. 7 election, Houston’s mayor had full power to determine what items would appear on the agendas of the weekly council meetings. However, a ballot proposition approved by voters Nov. 7 allows council members the ability to place items on the agendas as well, as long as they have backing from at least two other council members.
A number of other runoff elections are taking place Dec. 9 for the city, including the city controller, four at-large City Council positions, City Council District D, which covers the Third Ward, and City Council District G, which covers parts of west Houston and River Oaks.
All results are unofficial until canvassed.
