Texas state Sen. John Whitmire is projected to be Houston’s subsequent mayor after beating his opponent, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, in a particular runoff election on Saturday.
Whitmire inherits a metropolis dealing with many challenges, together with crime, crumbling infrastructure, and potential finances shortfalls. But regardless of these points, booming development over the past decade has turned the nation’s fourth-largest metropolis into an increasing stronghold for Texas Democrats.
Jackson Lee and Whitmire, each Democrats, made it to Saturday’s runoff after breezing previous a crowded area of practically 20 candidates within the Nov. 7 common election.
Jackson Lee, 73, has represented Houston in Congress since 1995. Before that, she served on Houston’s City Council.
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On the marketing campaign path, Jackson touted her years of expertise bringing federal funding to Houston for flooding aid, job coaching applications, and schooling.
“I want people to have confidence that as soon as I hit the ground running, I will have solutions coming, programs coming, answers coming,” she mentioned.
Whitmire, 74, is one in every of Texas’ strongest Democratic lawmakers within the state Legislature, the place he has helped drive tough-on-crime insurance policies whereas additionally casting himself as a reformer throughout his 50 years in workplace.
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His marketing campaign targeted on lowering crime, bettering streets and reaching throughout the political aisle.
“It’s going to be a tough job. It’s going to be challenging, but I’m going to reach out and bring people together, and we’re going to fix our infrastructure,” Whitmire mentioned.
Whitmire closely outspent Jackson Lee within the marketing campaign. Her marketing campaign additionally needed to take care of fallout from the discharge in October of an unverified audio recording that presupposed to seize her profanely berating her employees.
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Whitmire will change Sylvester Turner, who has served eight years and may’t run once more due to time period limits.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.