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These are the issues that matter most to voters in the Houston mayoral race

The downtown skyline and surrounding metropolitan area of Houston, Texas shot from an altitude of about 1500 feet during a helicopter photo flight. (Art Wager, Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

HOUSTON – Houstonians will get the chance to elect the 63rd mayor of Houston this Saturday.

The candidates in the runoff are Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and State Senator John Whitmire. Whitmire is reportedly leading public opinion polls and campaign spending, according to SurveyUSA.

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In a poll conducted by KPRC 2, we asked voters what the most important issue was for the mayoral candidates to address. Seventy-seven percent of participants said crime was a major concern, 8% said weatherization, 6% said public education, 5% were focused on affordable housing, and 4% said traffic.

A July poll from the University of Houston’s Hobby School revealed that crime remained at the top of Houstonians’ concerns just a few weeks before Election Day. Results revealed that 46% of likely Houston voters view rate crime as the city’s most important issue, with economic inequality (11%) and rising property taxes (10%) distantly rounding out the top three concerns. Other results included roads and bad street conditions (8%), homelessness (6%), flooding (6%), traffic congestion (5%), ethnic and racial inequality (4%), unreliable trash collection and recycling (2%), and poor air quality (2%).

Among the survey’s other findings, more than half of voters (58%) oppose instituting a trash collection fee to defray the cost of trash and recycling pickup. Seventeen percent said they support a monthly $25 fee, and an additional 25% said they support a monthly fee between $20 and $30, depending on bin size.

KPRC 2 partner The Houston Landing said several other voters who spoke to the publication had several issues that they wanted mayoral candidates to address, such as poor road conditions, flooding and public safety. However, many reportedly said they were uninspired by either candidate’s ability to address those priorities.


KPRC 2 will track the results as soon as the polls close this Saturday. We will have those results at the bottom of your screen during primetime programming. We will also have results throughout the evening on Click2Houston.com.

In addition, we will have coverage on KPRC 2 and KPRC 2+ during our 10 p.m. newscast.

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About the Author

Prairie View A&M University graduate with a master’s degree in Digital Media Studies from Sam Houston State. Delta woman. Proud aunt. Lover of the color purple. 💜

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