Your Guide to Houston Mayor Candidates
On December 9, Houstonians will need to make their way to the polls again to pick a new mayor.
Houston’s 2023 mayoral election is prolonged another few weeks as the top two candidates advance to a runoff on December 9. No candidate in the November election reached the 50 percent threshold required to claim the seat, as required by Texas law, so frontrunners state Sen. John Whitmire and US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee will return to the ballots next month.
It’s a big job for whoever succeeds term-limited mayor Sylvester Turner. The next mayor will be the executive of the fourth-largest city in the country. Many issues are top of mind for Houstonians this cycle—some old, some new—such as affordable housing, traffic congestion, flooding, transportation infrastructure, and public safety.
The Houston mayoral election is run on a nonpartisan ballot, so candidates are not identified as Democrats or Republicans. Whitmire led the November election with 107,097 (42.51 percent) of the votes and representative Jackson Lee followed, receiving 89,773 (35.63 percent). No other candidate came close to the number of votes earned by the top two.
Here’s everything you need to know about the election for Houston mayor, including when, where, and how to vote, plus a guide to the candidates who are running.
FAST FACTS
When is the Houston mayoral runoff election? The runoff will take place on Saturday, December 9, 2023.
Will there be early voting? Yes, there will be an early voting period, but it will be shorter. We will update this guide once the dates are set.
How do I find polling locations near me? You can view a map of election day and early voting centers on Harris Votes. Or add sone fun to casting your ballot by voting at some of the coolest polling locations in the city.
The Candidates
Sheila Jackson Lee
Current office: US Representative, 18th Congressional District
Background: Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has served in the US House since 1995 as a Democrat. Before that, she served on the Houston City Council for five years, and was previously a municipal judge.
Key issues: As a candidate, representative Jackson Lee cites infrastructure, crime and public safety, the unhoused community, small businesses and economic opportunity, and reproductive and civil rights as priorities for her administration.
In her words: Prior to the election, a recording of representative Jackson Lee berating her employees with profanities leaked to the public. At a debate at Texas Southern University, she cast the blame at her opponent.
“If I offended anyone, it is with regret,” Jackson Lee said. “But clearly that was a Whitmire operative who attempted to place that in the midst of the early vote, and clearly I think our focus should not be distracted on that. It is a double standard.”
When asked how she plans on reducing crime in the city during a debate at Houston Christian University, she said she will use a strategy that worked in the Midtown area previously.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for our families to feel unsafe,” she said. “We have ways of handling cleaning up neighborhoods. I will use our officers to target high crime areas using data analysis.”
Endorsements: Many local heavyweights have endorsed representative Jackson Lee for mayor, most important of all current mayor Sylvester Turner, who weighed in after election day by announcing his support on November 8. Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo and Harris County attorney Christian Menefee have also chosen the representative as their pick for the mayoral seat. The congresswoman has been endorsed by Harris County and Fort Bend Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Grady Prestage, as well as Houston city councilmember Tiffany D. Thomas. She also has the support of a handful of teacher and transportation worker unions. On August 21, she received the prized endorsement of former congressman and senate and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi officially endorsed Jackson Lee on September 28, lauding her as “a loyal and tenacious Democrat.” On October 27, former secretary of state and First Lady Hillary Clinton also joined a rally in support of the congresswoman.
Image: Courtesy John Whitmire
John Whitmire
Current office: Texas State Senator, District 15
Background: A Democrat, Sen. John Whitmire is the longest-serving member of the Texas Senate. Before that, he served as a state representative. He is chair of the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee. In a statement announcing his bid for the seat, Whitmire said: “As a public servant, I go where I am called. And I’ve gotten a call from Houstonians to leave the Texas Legislature after 50 years and to run for Mayor of the City of Houston. I accept that call because I am a public servant.”
Key issues: Senator Whitmire has outlined public safety as a priority, including adding police officers and rehabilitation programs for former offenders. He also talks about fixing streets and drainage ditches, improving city services, and diversifying Houston’s economy.
In his words: During a mayoral debate at the University of Houston before the election, Whitmire spoke about his plans to bring state troopers into Houston, stressing the importance of more police involvement in the city.
“We need their resources," Whitmire said. "We need to free up HPD to be in our neighborhoods. We have very little traffic enforcement. We need to get after the DWIs. We could use DPS to complement HPD under HPD's direction.”
This is not the only time the state senator has spoken about his plans to increase police intervention in the city. When asked how he plans to address the state troopers arresting a disproportionate number of Black and Hispanic people during a debate at Texas Southern University, he argued that defunding advocates are to blame for the adverse perception.
“We need a plan. Those who criticize that, where is their plan?" Whitmire asked. He later explained that “we need collaboration” for the relationship to work.
Endorsements: A few of Whitmire’s colleagues in the Texas Senate and House have endorsed him, including state Sen. Carol Alvarado, and state Reps. Ana Hernandez, Hubert Vo, and Christian Manuel. US Rep. Sylvia Garcia has thrown her support behind him. Local activists Olga Rodriguez and Etta Crockett have also picked the state senator for the position. Several police unions including the Houston Police Officers’ Union, the Afro-American Police Officers League, Houston Police Retired Officers Association, and the Organization of Spanish Speaking Officers have endorsed Whitmire, as well as the Texas Gulf Coast AFL-CIO and the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR). On October 22, the Houston Chronicle editorial board endorsed Whitmire. City Councilmember Robert Gallegos threw his support behind the candidate after Gallegos, who also ran for mayor, did not get enough votes to advance to the runoff. On November 20, former mayor Annise Parker announced her support for Whitmire.
The Also-Rans
These contenders also threw their hats in the ring for the mayoral seat but did not receive enough votes to advance to a runoff.
Gilbert Garcia (7.21%): The former Metro chairman from 2010 and 2016 has since been working as a managing partner for Garcia Hamilton and Associates, a wealth management company with a focus on bonds. He was also mayor Annise Parker’s campaign chair in 2009. His key issues as a mayoral candidate included public safety, corruption, clean streets, and attracting business owners. His campaign’s tagline was “Make Houston Happen.”
Jack Christie (6.87%): A former at-large city council member, Christie launched his campaign saying he wanted to create a “safe, stronger Houston.” The former candidate’s resume also includes medical professional, president of the Spring Branch ISD school board, and veteran who served in the Army Reserve Medical Corps for six years. The Republican wanted to balance the budget by cutting wasteful spending, improve public safety, and support law enforcement.
Lee Kaplan (2.62%): A political outsider with strong initial fundraising, Kaplan is an attorney and a partner at Smyser Kaplan and Veselka. His key issues included crime prevention, traffic, city bureaucracy, clean streets, and youth opportunities.
Robert Gallegos (1.06%): A native of Magnolia Park, Democrat Gallegos has been a Houston City Councilmember since 2013, representing District I. Before that, he worked as an aide to then-Harris County commissioner Sylvia Garcia. In council, he is the chair of the Quality of Life Committee and is a vocal advocate for Houston’s green spaces. Public safety and infrastructure were his campaign’s two other key priorities. Gallegos endorsed Whitmire in the runoff on November 11.
M.J. Khan (0.98%): Khan served on Houston City Council from 2004 to 2009, and was also the president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston. His key campaign issues were crime, infrastructure, supporting law enforcement and first responders, and mending the city’s relationship with the state.
Annie “Mama” Garcia (0.78%): Garcia was running after losing the Democratic primary to represent the state of Texas in the US Senate in 2020.
Julian Martinez (0.72%): Owner of Bemer Motor Cars, Martinez said in a press release announcing his bid for mayor that he was “disappointed at the amount of political division between the current politicians and their inability to address our city’s problems.” His campaign focused on issues of safety, economic development, and affordable housing.
Roy Vasquez (0.43%): This former candidate who had homelessness and animal welfare among his campaign priorities, threw his hat in the ring for the second time—he ran for the same seat in 2019.
M. “Griff” Griffin (0.27%): A Houston political advocate and community leader, Griffin has run for at-large positions on the city council 11 times since 1993. He is the former owner of famous Montrose sports bar Griff’s, and later became a private investigator and business consultant who helped introduce Houston’s 311 city services hotline.
Other candidates who ran for mayor include Kathy Tatum (0.21%), David Lowy (0.15%), Chanel Mbala (0.14%), Naoufal Houjami (0.14%) Gaylon S. Caldwell (0.13%), B. Ivy (0.11%), and Robin Williams (0.04%).
The Dropouts
Derrick Broze: An author and activist, Broze ran on a campaign to change the city charter to remove power from the mayor and give it to city council. He adopted a “your body, your choice” stance during the pandemic and doesn’t believe in vaccinating children for COVID-19. Broze ran for Houston mayor in 2019 and received 0.3 percent of the vote. He did not file to be on the ballot by the August 21 deadline.
Amanda Edwards: The former Houston City Councilmember dropped out of the race for mayor on June 19. She endorsed Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and is instead running for her seat in Congress.
Chris Hollins: After serving as Harris County Clerk during the eventful 2020 presidential election, which raised his national profile as the county’s expanded voting options during the pandemic went to court, Hollins announced his candidacy for mayor of Houston. He dropped out on April 6, and instead is running for City Controller. In that race, Hollins received 44.8 percent of the vote, advancing to the runoff election on December 9 against Orlando Sanchez (27.3 percent).
R.R. Tezino: This candidate described himself as a “manager, educator and program director” on his website. He cited public safety, transportation, and education among his main issues. He did not file to be on the ballot by the August 21 deadline.
