Texas Gov. Greg Abbott officially set the special election to replace the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, for Nov. 5, 2024, the same day as the general election.
The special election will only determine who will serve out the rest of Jackson Lee’s term, through January. Meanwhile, the general election on the same day will determine who will serve the next term, beginning in January and ending in January 2027.
There will be no primary for the general election, since Jackson Lee won that in March. Instead, the 88 Democratic precinct chairs in the district will vote later this month to select a party nominee for the general election.
On the same day as Abbott’s announcement former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and former City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards said that they would each jump into the crowded race to replace Jackson Lee in the state’s 18th Congressional District.
Edwards mounted a primary challenge against Jackson Lee earlier this year, which Jackson Lee won by over 20 percentage points in March.
In a statement on Friday, Edwards thanked the late congresswoman for her service and said, “This fight is for the long haul, and that is what I intend to do as your next Congresswoman.”
In his own statement Friday, Turner called Jackson Lee his “dear friend” and said, “We need to select who will fill her shoes, as we mourn her death.”
“I look forward to working every day not only to honor and perpetuate the Congresswoman’s legacy, but also to lead a thriving 18th District forward into its next chapter in history,” Turner added in the statement.
Any other candidates who wish to run in the special election must declare their candidacy by August 22, the governor’s official proclamation said.
Earlier in the week, mourners including Vice President Kamala Harris gathered in Houston for Jackson Lee’s memorial service. The late congresswoman died on July 19 after a battle with cancer.
Jackson Lee had served in the House since 1995.
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