HOUSTON – Registered voters within city limits decided the fate of Houston’s next mayor in the runoff elections on Dec. 9.
Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire, both Democrats, were the top two vote-getters in the Nov. 7 general election, but neither candidate received the vote majority required to avoid a runoff. Whitmire led the 18-person field with 42% of the vote, while Jackson Lee placed second with 36%. The rest of the pack, including one write-in candidate, trailed far behind, with no other candidate breaking the 10% mark.
Recommended Videos
On Saturday, Houston elected Whitmire as its next mayor, elevating a Texas lawmaker who has represented the city for 50 years by giving him a victory over Lee in the runoff.
Whitmire will replace term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner, also a Democrat.
On the first day of early voting, more than 14,000 people cast their ballots in the hotly contested Houston mayoral race, according to the Harris County Clerk’s Office.
Votes
%
John Whitmire
Sheila Jackson Lee
(498 / 498)
Visit the Decision 2023 page of Click2houston.com for complete election results and news.
KPRC 2 will bring you live updates as the polls close on Dec. 9. Look for results at the bottom of your screen during primetime programming and Click2Houston.com. We’ll also bring you live reaction from the winners during KPRC 2 News at 10 p.m. on KPRC 2 and the KPRC 2+ livestream.
Four ways to watch KPRC 2+ any time
- Search for the KPRC 2+ app on your smart TV or streaming device - including Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Google TV.
- Get the new KPRC 2+ mobile app - which is free to download in the App Store or on Google Play.
- Watch at Click2Houston.com/watchlive.
- Look for the KPRC 2+ livestream in the “Watch Live” section of the Click2Houston news app.
Previous related stories:
Houston has a population that’s young. Its next mayor, set to be elected in a runoff, won’t be
These are the issues that matter most to voters in the Houston mayoral rac
AP Election Brief | What to expect in Houston’s mayoral runoff election
‘The problem is no one cares’: Houston Mayoral candidates bring up water bill issues