HOUSTON — While numerous candidates have tossed their hat into the ring for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s vacant District 18 seat, her children have chosen to throw their support behind one.
Jason Lee and Erica Lee Carter said they have endorsed former Houston Mayor Sylvester for their mother’s seat. Turner was one of the first to declare his candidacy.
Here is their full statement:
“Over the past several weeks we’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love from the residents of the 18th Congressional District. Countless people have reached out to express not only condolences for our mother’s death, but to share personal testimonies about her impact on their lives. Our mother was a true public servant who loved the people she served, and it has been gratifying to know that love was reciprocated.
“While no one will ever replace Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, there must be a successor. Our greatest hope is that her immediate successor has the capacity and commitment to sustain the service upon which the constituents of the 18th District have come to rely. For that reason we are proud to endorse Sylvester Turner for the 18th Congressional District.
“We have no doubt Mayor Turner will carry on our mother’s legacy of service because we’ve witnessed it almost our entire lives. Our mother had no greater partner than Mayor Turner and he honors her with his willingness to dutifully and humbly serve as a sturdy bridge to the next generation of leadership for the historic 18th Congressional District of Texas.
“The giants of the 18th Congressional District came to leadership through affirmation, not coronation. And so it should be for those that would assume the mantle for the future. This seat belongs to the people of the 18th, and the people–who affirmed Barbara, Mickey and Sheila–will no doubt identify and select the 18th’s next great champion as well.
“We look forward to supporting Sylvester Turner as the next Congressman of the 18th Congressional District, as well as supporting the next generational leader who earns the people’s trust.”
So far, Amanda Edwards, Dwight Boykins, Erica Davis, Jarvis Johnson, Christina Morales, Letitia Plummer, and Robert Slater have announced their candidacy.
Turner told KHOU 11’s Len Cannon that if he’s chosen by precinct judges to be on the November ballot and wins, he has no intention of staying in Washington for very long.
“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.”
Two terms in the House would be four years.
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.