Erica Lee Carter, the daughter of the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, announced Monday that she is running in the special election for the U.S. House seat formerly held by her mother to finish the remainder of the late congresswoman’s term.
This happened after Jackson Lee, D-Texas, died last month at the age of 74 after a fight with Pancreatic cancerShe represented Texas’ 18th congressional district for 30 years.
Lee Carter said in a statement: “I want to finish for my mother!”
“Nearly two weeks after we laid my dear mother, the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, I want to thank the entire Houston community for the overwhelming outpouring of love, support and appreciation for our entire family,” Lee Carter wrote. “I witnessed my mother’s tremendous commitment to public service and legislative acumen firsthand, and the countless stories and moments I have heard since her passing have made her ‘larger than life’ presence even more evident.”
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee has died after her battle with pancreatic cancer.
Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas died last month at the age of 74 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. (REUTERS/Erin Scott)
“The people of the 18th Congressional District re-elected my mother to the 118th Congress to protect their interests and uphold our democratic values,” she continued. “Congresswoman Jackson Lee kept their interests in her heart and mind until the very end. Since then, so many community leaders and Democratic activists have asked that I finish her term this year by running in the special election on November 5th. After careful consideration, the answer is YES.”
Jackson Lee also previously had breast cancerShe was diagnosed with the disease in 2011 and announced the following year that she was cancer-free.
Before serving in Congress, Jackson Lee served as a judge before being elected to the Houston City Council in 1989.
Kamala Harris attends the funeral of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in Texas.
Last year, Jackson Lee ran an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Houston, losing by a wide margin to then-Senator John Whitmire, also a Democrat, before announcing that she would run for re-election to Congress.
“My mother was the ultimate enforcer,” wrote Lee Carter. “She stayed in her congressional office in Washington until the last hour, supported community events late into the evening, made calls to ‘people’s affairs’ until the wee hours of the morning, ended every important meeting with a request, a solution or a next step, and never accepted ‘no’ for a final answer.”
Lee Carter said she cared for her mother until her death.
The winner of the special election, which will be held on November 5, would fill the seat only for the remainder of the current term, which runs until January 3.
Sheila Jackson Lee attends the UNCF A Mind Is…Gala at Hilton Americas-Houston on November 18, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
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A separate election, also held on Nov. 5 for the general election, will determine whether to win the seat for the next Congress, which will serve from Jan. 3, 2025, to Jan. 3, 2027. Democratic Party precinct chairs in Harris County will meet Tuesday to nominate a candidate for that race to run against Republican Lana Centonze in the district considered safe for Democrats.
Lee Carter said that if the people of Texas’ 18th Congressional District trust her with their vote, she wants to end the 118th legislative session “the way (Jackson Lee) would have done, by supporting justice, equality, health care, human rights and economic opportunity for all.”
“I call on all Harris County Democrats to join forces to ensure the people of the 118th Congressional District get their voice back on important national issues,” said Lee Carter. “Together, we will finish the campaign for my mother, the Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee.”
