The Chron recommends keeping Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in office.
Over time, and with the Democratic takeover of the House, Jackson Lee has accumulated seniority and influence on a number of congressional committees and says she has used that added influence to help bring billions of federal dollars to the Houston area. She serves on the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs committees. She cites her role in winning federal funding for veterans’ services in the 18th, including a grant for a post-traumatic stress disorder center at Riverside Hospital.
According to Jackson Lee, she has been a member of Congress who has “both acted in the district on behalf of constituents and internationally.” The congresswoman recently accompanied House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on a visit to quake-devastated Haiti.
Although Jackson Lee is a strong supporter of President Obama, she disagrees with his plan to eliminate NASA’s Constellation program that would favor developing new rockets and spacecraft to return to the moon.
“I support human spaceflight,” says the incumbent, who promises to work to get more congressional funding for NASA and to convince the administration that the Constellation program has merit.
The Chronicle urges primary voters to nominate Jackson Lee for a ninth term.
They also endorse the one Republican challenger to SJL for whom I’ve not seen any campaign signs in my neighborhood. Of course, the majority of the signs I have seen for the other two candidates are illegally placed on public rights of way, so this is actually a plus. Not that any of it matters, of course, since the Democratic nominee in CD18 will win easily.