HOUSTON — Several eyes are on Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee's congressional seat after she announced a bid to become Houston's next mayor.
The 18th congressional seat is safely Democratic— which could see a lot of candidates join if Jackson Lee bows out of that contest.
“Sheila Jackson Lee’s potential mayoral candidacy had been hanging over the mayoral race for the past year now it’s dropped,” Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University, said.
Jackson Lee joining the race for Houston's mayor has a lot of people talking, from potential supporters on the street to rival campaign headquarters.
“I think it’s a great choice, she’s a great choice," said Houston voter Jimmy Carroll.
“It's going to be really tough to find much oxygen in this campaign with two heavyweights like Sheila Jackson Lee and John Whitmire in the contest," Jones said.
The announcement begs the question of who could potentially take her place in D.C.?
Well, the list could be crowded, according to Jones.
“We could see Sylvester Turner run for that seat, we could see state Senator Borris Miles, we could see state representative Jolanda Jones," he said. "Or we could see Carroll Robinson…there are probably a host of other people who could run as well.”
For Mayor Sylvester Turner, he’s not tipping his hand, but he's putting Houston mayoral candidates on notice.
“I simply would remind all of them there’s only one mayor at one time and I'm that," Turner said.
Rep. Jackson Lee would still be able to hold her congressional seat while she runs for mayor of Houston.