Sheila Jackson Lee’s daughter will run in special election for late mother’s seat

Erica Lee Carter, who is the daughter of the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s (D-TX), announced she will run for her mother’s House seat in November on Monday.

Carter said she’s running because “community leaders and democratic stalwarts” requested she complete her mother’s term, though she did not say whether she will run in the general election.

“I call on all Harris County Democrats to unite to ensure that the people of the 18th Congressional District regain their vote on critical national issues,” she said. “Together, we will finish for my mom, The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee.”

Democratic leaders in the area will nominate a replacement for Jackson Lee on Tuesday, who will face a Republican challenger in November to serve the next two years in the House. A special election on Election Day will determine who will serve in her seat until January, which Carter is vying for.

That means that Houston voters will vote on two different ballot lines for the same seat. The favorite to take the seat for the next two years is former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who is trying for the seat with 16 others. Carter and her brother endorsed Turner to take the seat, making him the likely favorite.

Carter said, if elected to finish her mother’s term, that “it is my desire to finish the 118th session in the way that she would have, by supporting justice, equality, healthcare, human rights and economic opportunity for all.”

Carter doesn’t have any experience in elected office and will only serve for about two months if elected.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) announced Aug. 2 that Nov. 5 was the date for the special election to replace Jackson Lee. Carter will have a chance to serve Texas’s 18th Congressional District, which encompasses inner city Houston. In either election, there’s very little chance Republicans will capture the seat.

The area voted overwhelmingly for Jackson Lee for years and is a Democratic stronghold in the state.

Jackson Lee died on July 19 at the age of 74, a month after she announced her pancreatic cancer diagnosis. She had served in the House since 1995.

She ran in the 2023 Houston mayoral election but lost in her Democratic primary runoff to the current mayor of Houston, John Whitmire. During her run, audio leaked of Jackson Lee allegedly berating staffers with profanity throughout the recording. It likely contributed to her narrow loss to Whitmire.