LOCAL: HOUSTON CITY CANDIDATES CONTINUE TO PLAY MUSICAL CHAIRS

By Burt Levine, Political Writer

Edwards was the only major African American candidate other than Jackson Lee still in the race after former interim Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins left when Jackson Lee announced his candidacy for Mayor to run himself for City Controller.

With two months to go until the Monday, August 21 filing deadline for Houston Mayor, City Controller, five at large (citywide), and 11 City Council seats, the list of candidates continues to shuffle at the city secretary’s office, where candidates are required to name a campaign treasurer before being permitted to politicize, raise, or spend campaign money.

On Monday, former at-large Pos. 4 City Council Member Amanda Edwards announced she was no longer running to succeed term-limited May- or Sylvester Turner. Edwards instead announced she was running for the Congress seat Sheila Jackson Lee has held since she left the at-large Pos. 4 City Council seat to serve in Congress 28 years ago. Jackson Lee has not announced she is not running in 2024. Edwards, a Houston native and Harvard-trained public finance attorney with experience at Bracewell and Vinson & Elkins, has wanted to serve in Congress since she interned for Jackson Lee after graduating from Emory in 2004, where she served as President.

In 2019, Edwards left her seat on city council, where she had won more votes in 2015 than Mayor Turner had won in 2015, to run in the Democratic Primary for the US Senate, hoping to face incumbent Senator John Cornyn. She came in fifth out of 12 candidates. Some blame her presence for keeping Dallas-area African American State Senator Royce West from being the 2020 Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate.

In addition to Jackson Lee, others running for mayor are 50-year legislator State Senator John Whitmire, former three-term City Council Member, entrepreneur, and Professional Engineer MJ Khan, former Metro Chairman and finance bondsman Gilbert Garcia, term-limited District I City Council Member Robert Gallegos, Lawyer Lee Kaplan, and others.

Monday term limited at large