State Senator John Whitmire, who has been serving in the Texas Senate for over 38 years, has been elected the 63rd Mayor of the City of Houston in a runoff election. Whitmire defeated U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
Whitmire, 74, who is one of Texas’ most powerful Democratic legislators, will now be at the helm of America’s fourth-largest city. His campaign focused on reducing crime, improving streets and bringing people together. He heavily outspent Jackson Lee, who was running to become Houston’s first Black female mayor.
Whitmire built an insurmountable lead among early voters, winning among those voters by 30 percentage points.
Whitmire and Jackson Lee had made it to Saturday’s runoff after emerging from a crowded field of nearly 20 candidates in the Nov. 7 general election.
Whitmire started in the Texas Legislature in 1973, first as a state representative and the majority of his time as a state senator. Jackson Lee has represented Houston in Congress since 1995 and before that had served on Houston’s City Council.
Whitmire will be the oldest big city mayor in the U.S. He is set to lead a city which is becoming younger, with a median age of around 35 and with 25% of its population below 18, according to census figures.
The new mayor will have to deal with new laws from the GOP-led state government over control of local elections and the ability to impose local regulations.
Whitmire will replace current mayor Sylvester Turner due to term limits. Turner has been serving as mayor of Houston since he was elected in 2015 after defeating Bill King in a runoff election. He was re-elected again in 2019 after defeating Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee.
