Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Sets Special Election to Fill Late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s Seat

Texas Governor Greg Abbott officially defined the special election to replace the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, on Nov. 5, 2024, the same day as the general election.

The special election will only determine who will serve the remainder of Jackson Lee’s term, through January. Meanwhile, general elections on the same day will determine who serves the next term, starting in January and ending in January 2027.

There will be no primary for the general election, as Jackson Lee won in March. Instead, the 88 Democratic election chairs in the district will vote later this month to select a party candidate for the general election.

On the same day as Abbott’s announcement, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and former City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards said they would each jump to the overcrowded race to replace Jackson Lee in the state’s 18th Congressional District.

Edwards mounted a primary challenge against Jackson Lee earlier this year, which Jackson Lee won by more than 20 percentage points in March.

In a statement Friday, Edwards thanked the late congresswoman for her service and said, “This fight is for the long haul and that is what I intend to do as your next congresswoman.”

In his own statement Friday, Turner called Jackson Lee his “dear friend” and said, “We must select who will take his place as we mourn his passing.”

“I look forward to working every day to not only honor and perpetuate the Congresswoman’s legacy, but also to lead a prosperous 18th District into its next chapter of history,” Turner added in the statement.

Any other candidates wishing to run in the special election must declare their candidacy by August 22, the governor’s official proclamation said.

Earlier in the week, mourners, including Vice President Kamala Harris, gathered in Houston for Jackson Lee’s memorial service. The late congresswoman died on July 19 after a battle with cancer.

Jackson Lee has served in the House since 1995.