HOUSTON — Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday set a date for a special election to fill the Congressional District 18 seat left vacant in the wake of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's death.
Abbott called for the special election to be held on Nov. 5, the same day as the general election. The special election winner will finish Jackson Lee's term through January and a separate general election winner will serve the next two-year Congressional term, beginning in January.
Jackson Lee held the seat for nearly 30 years.
Candidates vying for the seat in Congressional District 18
Multiple candidates have already announced intentions to go after the seat in the general election. It's unclear if they will also throw their names in the hat for the special election.
The Democratic nominee will be decided on by the precinct chairs. The person who is nominated on the Democratic side will go up against Republican nominee Lana Centoze in November.
Here are the candidates that we know about:
Amanda Edwards
One of the candidates is former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards. Edwards ran against Jackson Lee in the primaries and finished second. She announced on Friday morning that she again wants to be the nominee.
Edwards, an attorney, was born and raised in the district she hopes to represent and still lives there.
Edwards said she will focus on themes ranging from economic opportunity, infrastructure, healthcare access and education, among other issues.
According to the release announcing her candidacy, Edwards graduated from Eisenhower High School and earned a degree in political science from Emory University in Atlanta. She also earned a J.D. (Juris Doctor) from Harvard Law School.
Dwight Boykins
Former Houston City Councilman Dwight Boykins posted to Facebook that he's in the mix for the Democratic nomination in the 18th Congressional District.
Boykins was born in Houston and he and his six brothers grew up in the South Union neighborhood. He is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin High School and Texas Southern University.
In November of 2019, Boykins ran for Houston mayor, an election that now-former Mayor Sylvester Turner won.
Jarvis Johnson
State Rep. Jarvis Johnson spoke with KHOU 11 last week for the first time since a spokesperson said he was "100 percent running." He said his ties to the community can help energize the constituency and can propel him to bring federal resources to the district.
"We do need to understand there's a there are other populations and blocks of people that need to show up and we have to engage and involve them," Johnson said. "And that's why, I think, it makes me the best candidate to do so, because I have a vision to embrace, engage and invigorate a strong voting bloc that I think is a sleeping giant."
Christina Morales
Texas State Representative Christina Morales announced her candidacy for District 18 on X on Friday. According to her post, she lives in District 18. According to her online bio, Morales' grandparents came to Houston and started Morales Funeral Home in 1931. After her grandmother's death, Morales took over the business. She was elected to the Texas State House of Representatives in 2019. According to her bio, in the 87th legislative session, Morales "supported public education, worked to expand ethnic studies across the state, passed consumer protection bills, and fought to defend voting rights."
Letitia Plummer
Another Houston City Council member is looking to earn a nomination for the 18th Congressional District. Letitia Plummer on Friday announced she's is seeking the seat formerly held by the late Congresswoman.
Plummer's campaign sent a message on Friday morning about her candidacy. A week earlier, Plummer told KHOU 11 that she was considering it and that her youth and experience made her a good fit for the seat.
"To be able to be there long enough to be on those (congressional) committees to actually make a difference for the district is really going to be important," Plummer said "And so finding someone that not only has done the work in the community, but finding someone that is age-appropriate, that has the experience, the life lived experiences, right? To be able to represent this district is something that I hope that the precinct chairs look at."
Robert Slater
Businessman Robert Slater announced on Friday that he was getting into the race for the late Congresswoman's seat.
According to a release sent out by Slater's campaign, he focuses on "entrepreneur expansion, women's protective rights, veterans empowerment, the Civilian Second Chance Act, and community healthcare solutions."
Slater also ran in the primary against Jackson Lee, but got out of the race and put his support behind her.
Sylvester Turner
Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced on Friday that he's going for the Democratic nomination in the 18th Congressional district, seven months after leaving City Hall.
He recently told Len Cannon that if he's chosen, he would only stay for two terms, or four years.
“If you are to become the next congressman of the 18th District, how long would do you think you would serve?” Cannon asked him.
“Maximum, I would say, two (terms),” he said. “Maximum.”
Turner believes his decades in the state legislature and eight years as Houston’s mayor give him the connections to be a force in Congress right now, and what he calls a bridge of stability until the next person is elected.