The Chron is getting an early start on endorsements this year.
Sylvester Turner
Dabbing at his eyes, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner recalled the final conversation he had with the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in an interview with KHOU11’s Len Cannon.
“I said ‘Sheila, you have left it all on the field,’” Turner said choking back tears. “Your work is done.”
Turner’s, apparently, is not.
When he joined a crowded slate to replace Jackson Lee, he quickly amassed the blessings of her children, this editorial board, and, eventually, the majority of about 80 Democratic precinct chairs tasked with choosing a candidate for the November general.
Why would he want to run? After nearly three decades in the Legislature and two terms as Houston’s mayor where he missed no opportunity to shout out his Acres Homes roots, wasn’t he done? He said as much in 2023 when he told the media he wasn’t interested in heading to Congress. But given the sudden loss of Jackson Lee, the frantic timeline to find a replacement and the potential long-term consequences of anointing an incumbent in a heavily Democratic district where people tend to hold onto their seats, he felt he had to step in.
Ultimately, we’re glad Turner did decide to run, offering himself as a “bridge,” a lawmaker who can hit the ground running and see through a few projects under the bipartisan infrastructure bill and other bills before handing over the baton.
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He cited his perseverance through his own health challenges as proof that he still has the grit to tackle the job with the same “energizer bunny” zeal that Jackson Lee did.
“I went to radiation Monday through Friday for six weeks, 7:30 in the morning,” he said of his 2022 fight against bone cancer while mayor. “We didn’t change my schedule.”
If anything, the experience energized him more, he says.
“I’ve had the best medical care someone can find,” he told the editorial board. He contrasted that with his own father’s experience as a painter and yard man battling cancer without health insurance. Many residents of the 18th district share such experiences. Parts of the district have a roughly 20-year life expectancy gap compared with wealthier parts of Harris County and the district is also the site of a cancer cluster.
“That’s what motivates me,” he told us.
If all goes well today, I’ll be doing an interview with Mayor Turner this afternoon, to be run next week. I’ve already done one with Erica Lee Carter, who is running in the special election; that will also run next week. I supported Amanda Edwards in the precinct chair election, but I’m fine with Turner as the next full-term representative in CD18. I expect him to do a good job and be the kind of hard-working, ever-present member of Congress we’re used to. And then, probably in 2028, we’ll elect someone new. I hope whoever comes next follows in those same footsteps.