The 2023 Houston mayoral election was held on November 7, 2023, with a runoff on December 9 because no candidate won a majority of the vote in the first round. It was held to elect the mayor of Houston, Texas. Incumbent Democratic mayor Sylvester Turner was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term in office. Municipal elections in Texas are officially nonpartisan.
Two longtime fixtures of Houston politics, state senator John Whitmire and U.S. representative Sheila Jackson Lee, advanced to the runoff. Both were Democrats, though Whitmire had drawn support from some Republicans while Turner endorsed Jackson Lee as his successor. Polls of the runoff consistently showed wide leads for Whitmire. Candidates eliminated in the first round include bond investor Gilbert Garcia and former at-large city councilor Jack Christie, the leading Republican candidate.
Whitmire prevailed in the runoff, defeating Jackson Lee in a landslide victory.
Some candidates have not filed financial disclosures. Those who have are listed below:
Endorsements in bold were made after the first round.
Shortly after her loss, Jackson Lee filed to run for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives on December 11, 2023. She would win the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024, but died on July 19, 2024. Despite their previous rivalry, Whitmire would pay tribute to Jackson Lee, recalling how they worked together during the 2024 derecho. Whitmire would also deliver opening remarks when Jackson Lee would lie in state at Houston City Hall on July 29, 2024. Turner replaced Jackson Lee as the Democratic nominee and would go on to win in the same seat at the District 18 House election in November 2024 to succeed her but died only 61 days into his term on March 5, 2025.
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