Longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) made a surprising announcement this week: She’s planning to run for mayor.
“It shakes up the Houston mayor race a little bit more,” said Texas Tribune political reporter James Barragán, noting several other candidates: state Sen. John Whitmire, Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, and former U.S. Senate candidate and City Council member Amanda Edwards.
“But Sheila Jackson Lee is a huge name in Houston, has a lot of support,” Barragán said, noting Lee has represented the area in Congress since 1995. “So that’s sure to shake things up. And we’ll see how the other candidates react moving forward.”
For more stories from the week in Texas politics, including the resignation of state Rep. Jolanda Jones’ senior office staff and state troopers’ enhanced patrol of Austin streets, listen via the audio player above.
