Texas Governor Calls Special Election to Fill Late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s Vacant Seat

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) speaks at a press conference in Washington on July 18, 2022. Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Take Back the Court Action Fund

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has announced that a special election will be held to fill a congressional seat that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s (D-Texas) recent death left vacant.

Abbott issued a proclamation on Aug. 2, ordering a special election on Nov. 5 for the purpose of electing a U.S. Representative for Congressional District 18 to serve out Jackson Lee’s unexpired term.

Jackson Lee died at the age of 74 on July 19, not long after revealing she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was first elected to her Houston seat in 1994 and held it for decades until her death.

This special election to elect someone to serve out the remaining two months of Jackson Lee’s term will take place on the same day as the general election, where voters will also choose who will represent the traditionally Democrat district for the full two-year term starting in 2025.

This decision has sparked some controversy, with critics arguing that having two elections for the same seat on the same day will cause voter confusion.

Mike Doyle, chair of the Harris County Democrats, said in remarks to the Texas Tribune that Abbott’s decision to create a special election, which he was not required to do, amounts to “an attempt to confuse and create havoc in voting in November” in a Democrat stronghold, adding that the move amounts to “gamesmanship—nothing more, nothing less.”

A request for further clarification about Doyle’s “gamesmanship” remarks sent to the Harris County Democrats was not immediately returned.

It seems apparent that Abbott’s decision to create the special election could force Democrats to divert resources and attention to the short-term election, spreading them thinner as they also campaign for the full-term seat. This could weaken Democrat candidates’ campaigns and bolster the chances that a candidate not aligned with the Democratic Party will perform better in the general election.

Abbott’s press secretary did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the criticism.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during the National Rifle Association (NRA) at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, on May 18, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Democrat leaders in Texas have issued a notice of a congressional district executive committee meeting on Aug. 13 for the purposes of nominating a replacement candidate to fill Jackson Lee’s vacant seat.

Candidates interested in running in the special election must submit their applications to the Texas Secretary of State by Aug. 22, per Abbott’s order. Early voting for both the special and general elections has been set for Oct. 21 and will end on Nov. 1, per the Texas Election Code.

No names have yet been floated for the special election.

However, a number of individuals have thrown their hat in the ring for the full-term election. Former Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards has announced she will run for the full-term, as have former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Houston City Council Member Letitia Plummer, state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, former City Council Member Dwight Boykins, and state Rep. Christina Morales, all Democrats.