Rep.-elect Sylvester Turner (D-TX) comes to the Capitol with 35 years worth of political experience and as a survivor of cancer, a disease that took the life of his predecessor Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX).

As the newly elected representative of Texas‘s 18th Congressional District, Turner carries with him the legacy of Jackson Lee and the belief that Democrats need to focus on their roots of helping everyday working Americans and ensuring access to quality healthcare.

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“As a Democrat, I came here to fight for people and families who need health care, and the lack of it shouldn’t be a death sentence,” Turner told the Washington Examiner in an interview during freshman orientation at the Capitol last month.

While serving as the mayor of Houston, the fourth-largest city in the U.S., Turner was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. Surgeons removed a portion of his jaw where the cancer had grown and replaced it with a section of his leg bone.

While Turner survived, he reflects on his father who died of cancer at a young age without access to private health insurance.

“My dad decided he would work to take care of nine kids until the Lord called him home,” Turner said. “He died early. Fast forward, his son, mayor of the city of Houston, [is] diagnosed with cancer two years ago. I had the best health care anyone can find in the world. I’m still here, and now I’m heading to the halls of Congress.”

Turner is among the oldest freshman members of the 119th Congress. George Latimer, who will succeed Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), is 71.

As he forges relationships and learns the ropes, Turner leans on the skills from 27 years in the Texas House of Representatives and his most recent eight years as mayor of Houston.

“I’m a freshman, but not a rookie,” he said, quipping that Congress is like a “state legislature on steroids.”

The congressional seat became open unexpectedly when Jackson Lee died from pancreatic cancer in July. She represented the Houston district for 30 years. Democrat Erica Lee Carter won a special election in November to fill out the remaining months of her mother’s term in the 118th Congress. Turner was elected to a full two-year term starting in January. 

“I made it very clear, you can’t replace Sheila Jackson. She was a force of nature, very determined, very impactful,” Turner said.

As a Democrat from red Texas, Turner is used to being the minority party. After Republicans swept Congress and the White House in the 2024 elections, Turner remains optimistic he’ll be able to deliver results for his constituents and the Democratic Party will once again find its footing.

To do so will require driving home the message that Democrats are the party for the working men and women and care about better jobs, healthcare, and opportunities for their children, he said.

As a mayor from a border state, Turner also understands the concerns voters had about illegal immigration and why they were drawn to President-elect Donald Trump, who pledged a crackdown with mass deportations.

He’s skeptical, however, that Trump can deport millions of immigrants, who have been vital to the agriculture and food industry, while lowering the prices of groceries. Inflation, especially the high cost of food, was a top issue for voters after prices rose on average about 20% since President Joe Biden took office.

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“It was a big issue, but the president says he’s going to fix it, and he’s going to deport 11 million people, and at the same time, the prices are going to come down,” Turner said.

“It’s one thing to say it. It’s another thing to govern and actually do it,” he added. “Only thing I would say is America should hold him accountable.”