HOUSTON – The race to become the 63rd Houston mayor is headed for a runoff between two popular Democratic candidates.
State Sen. John Whitmire and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee led a group of 16 other candidates in the race but neither received enough votes to win Tuesday’s election.
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If elected, Jackson Lee, 73, would be Houston’s first Black woman mayor. Since 1995, she has represented Houston in Congress. Whitmire, 74, has lapped his rivals in fundraising after five decades in the Texas Legislature, where he has helped drive tough-on-crime policies while also casting himself as a reformer. The two will face off again on Dec. 9.
Why is there a runoff?
In Texas, a candidate has to pass the threshold of more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff. Whitmire had about 42.5% of the vote and Jackson-Lee had 35.6%.
What does this runoff mean for Houston voters?
Rice University Political Science Professor Mark Jones said this runoff is important because Houston is the only major city in Texas that has a strong mayoral government.
“As a result, the mayor effectively determines anything and everything that goes on within the city of Houston, from public safety to roads to spending on parks and recreation and other benefits, and the person is being elected for a four-year term and the possibility of being re-elected for another four-year term and in recent years, the mayors have always been able to win their re-election bid,” Jones said. “This is potentially electing someone who will control politics, policy and have a profound impact on the daily lives of Houston residents for at least the next four years and quite possibly the next eight years.”
Can you still vote in the runoff on Dec. 9 if you didn’t vote on Nov. 7 or earlier?
Yes. Houstonians that didn’t vote on Nov. 7 or during early voting can vote in the runoff but they must be registered to vote 30 days in advance (Thursday).
Why is the runoff on a Saturday?
According to Jones, scheduling runoffs on Saturdays is a Houston tradition, “in part because it’s not a uniform election day at the state level like it was November 7.”
Jones said for logistical reasons, it’s often easier to choose a Saturday for these events.
“They could, in theory, call them on Tuesday, but we’ve always done them on Saturdays,” Jones said.
Will there be runoffs for other races on the ballot?
Yes, there will be other races on the runoff ballot. In addition to the mayoral race, others featured will include the controller race between Chris Hollins and Orlando Sanchez and four at-large city council races. Three of the 11 council districts -- D, G, and H - will have runoffs as well, Jones said.
“Effectively, everyone will be voting on at least those six races and then three districts will have a district-level race as well,” Jones said.
Will there be another early voting period?
Yes, but it will be shorter this time around.
“It normally starts on a Monday, goes through the weekend and then stops in the middle of the week to allow them to prepare the logistics for the Saturday runoff on December 9,” Jones said.
Do you have any additional questions about the mayoral runoff? Let us know in the comments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.