HOUSTON — The race for Houston mayor got more interesting after U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee announced she intends to run.
Her announcement came Sunday during a church service at City Cathedral Church in the Bellaire area.
“I hope I've been a humble servant for you for 28 years ... Sheila Jackson Lee wants to come home to be your mayor for the city of Houston,” Jackson Lee said during the service. “I will not be able to do it without each and every one of you.”
Jackson Lee enters an already crowded field that aims to replace the term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner during this November's election.
According to The Texas Tribune, the early frontrunner has been state Sen. John Whitmire. His competitors include Chris Hollins, the former Harris County Clerk; Robert Gallegos, a member of the Houston City Council; Gilbert Garcia, former chairman of the city's Metropolitan Transit Authority; and Amanda Edwards, a former City Council member.
Jackson Lee has been in Congress since 1995 and will not have to give up her congressional seat to run for mayor.