Who is running for mayor of Houston? Here is the full list (2023)

Since 1980s, Houston PoliticsIt was run by majority Democratic leaders at the county and city levels. As a result,Houston Mayor's Officeruns on a bipartisan vote designed to include all residents regardless of political affiliation: Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Libertarians.

A year and a half after the mayoral election (November 7, 2023), leaders from various positions have already announced their candidacy. Other candidates are likely to be announced in the coming months. The five publicly announced candidates include John Whitmire, former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, former City Councilman Amanda Edwards, Missouri City Police Officer Robin Williams, and District Attorney Lee. chaplain. Each candidate has different backgrounds, roles and visions for the city, yet consistently focuses on similar issues that remain top concerns for Houston residents.

Current Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has been plagued by a series of infrastructure issues that, like any politician, caused mixed feelings about his final term.A year after his second term in 2017, the city was hit by Hurricane Harvey, one of the deadliest hurricanes in Texas history, with total damages of $125 billion. Turner did what it could to revitalize the city after a tragic natural disaster that many Houstonians had not seen since Hurricane Rita in 2005. At the same time, he created programs with METRO, the city's mainline public system, to provide better service to a city it works for. All residents, many Houstonians still feel that the city's system could be better. In his six years, Turner has kept the ship afloat with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Winter Storm Uri, a severe COVID-19 pandemic, citywide budget deficits and a surge in homeless Houstonians.Some highlights of his current tenure include providing housing for homeless Houstonians, initiating the city's transition to solar energy, and maintaining a positive relationship with Houston's LGBTQ+ community.

But Houstonians still want the next mayor to address the same issues that worried them before Turner took office.For example, issues such as flooding, road repairs, community homelessness, traffic congestion and public transportation are some of them, and reducing crime is another. In addition, the management of sewage systems, recycling services, and proper drainage remain priorities for Houston residents. And worrying about flooding every time it rains is unsustainable. With the county currently in litigation with the Texas Department of Transportation's I-45 extension, if accepted, the city could see a complete transformation in transportation. Depending on how the lawsuits progress, this could mean more traffic jams, environmental hazards and more than five years of construction.

Also, the affordability of city and property taxes will result in the displacement of more families who have lived in the city for generations. Homelessness is a problem every mayor has faced since the crisis began in the 1980s, yet the number of homeless Houstonians has declined since the early 2000s, with 3,605 reported on the streets or in public housing. But more recently, in 2022, it rose again.

Amanda Edward,Lawyer
Attorney Amanda Edwards is the third candidate to announce her candidacy and the only former councilwoman to run. After serving four years as a member of the At-Large Position 4 City Council, Edwards said that if elected, she would like to build on the work she has done on the council. During his time on the board, Edwards served as vice chairman of the Budget and Tax Affairs Committee, the Economic Development Committee and the Transportation, Technology and Infrastructure Committee. He also worked on a city task force focused on traffic congestion environmental impact on local residents and created an urban innovation district.This mayoral race comes after Edwards' failed attempt to unseat Republican US Senator John Cornyn in 2020, the main factors that defined it. along with the other candidates. Like the others, Edwards said his main concerns are reducing crime, curbing flooding and improving equal economic opportunity. To counter the rise in crime, she says, the city needs to get more cops on the streets while creating a culture that prioritizes community policing and proper training.Like others who were born and raised in Houston, Edwards said her focus will also be to build a coalition of all members of the community of civil servants, community leaders, elected officials and ordinary residents to ensure everyone has a seat at the table and a opinion on the subject. Theme. future of the cityIf elected, Edwards would become the first black woman to lead the city.

Find out more about Amanda Edwards in her campaignofficial site.

Juan Whitmire, Texas State Senator.
The senior member of the Texas Senate, Democrat John Whitmire, is the first of four candidates to announce his candidacy for mayor. With a $11 million war fund and thousands of potential endorsements from city and state officials, Whitmire could be seen as a favorite in the running.After his last primary victory in March, Whitmire said he still plans to serve in the 2023 legislature and then run for mayor before the November 2023 local election.At 72, he is the oldest candidate in the running, with more than 30 years of legislative experience in the state Senate representing District 15. His political career began in 1973, where he served as a congressman before moving to the state Senate. As chairman of the Texas Committee on Criminal Justice, his primary focus was solving problems in the criminal justice system. And he boasts of being "tough and smart about crime."Whitmire, also known as the Dean of the Senate, has also focused on building relationships with public servants' unions, supporting increased funding for public educators, and fighting crime, sometimes even siding with public servants in the whole world and broke with the traditional democratic opinion.In 2021, Whitmire was asked about the lack of air conditioning in Houston jails and replied, "Commit no crime and you'll be fine at home."With the very announcement of his candidacy for mayor, it's safe to assume that Whitmire will continue to fight for the same policies he has supported in his 49 years in office.

Find out more about John Whitmire in his campaignofficial site.

petirrojo williams, Missouri City Police Officer and former Marine
Robin Williams comes to the race with the most first-hand public safety experience. Williams spent four years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, which led her to join the American Red Cross Department of International Social Services, where she supported and connected displaced families and veterans affected by the war.This prompted Willims to start his own nonprofit organization, A Hero Needs a Story, which provides a platform for vets and active members to express their experiences in the military while working with families and administering the veterans program at Michael E Debakey GO. medical center. Williams, now running for mayor of Houston, focuses on Houston-area police/community patrol involvement, homelessness, road repair, improving mental health accessibility and public transportation.At 31, Williams is the only candidate who has never held public office, but said her military and law enforcement experience makes her well suited to solving crimes in the city.As a Missouri City police officer, she said her campaign will reflect her experience as a black woman and police officer to build trust between the community and residents. Additionally, his drive for accountability across Houston agencies demonstrates a paradigm shift in the current system. As per his website, Williams' term will be: "Support Blue, but not the Bullies in Blue".His focus on economic growth, job security and flood prevention also mimics the issues raised by the other three candidates in the running. If elected, Williams could also become the first black woman to lead the city and council in 2023.

Find out more about Robin Williams in his campaignofficial site.

Chris Hollins,Member of the Metro Board of Directors
Well known for creating accessible voting options such as 24-hour mail-in, drive-up and online voting tracking for the 2020 election during COVD-19Pandemic, Chris Hollins became the second candidate to announce his candidacy for mayor. Since the 2020 election, the Texas Legislature has passed Senate Bill 1, a restrictive voting measure specifically targeting Hollins and Harris counties to create new opportunities for seniors, minorities and voters with disabilities to vote safely.Hollins was successful in winning a series of lawsuits brought by Texan Republicans and has since focused on creating innovative ways for all Texans to gain access to the ballot box.Since stepping down from his previous role as Harris County Clerk, Hollins is now Vice President of Finance for the Texas Democratic Party and a member of the METRO Board of Directors.In his candidacy for mayor, in addition to voting accessibility,Hollins helps decriminalize marijuana, fix the city's public transportation system, address environmental issues affecting residents, and other issues.As for fighting crime in the city, Hollins said he wants to get more cops on the streets, a similar position to his opponents, who also make bringing down crime rates a top priority. In addition, Hollins wants to address flooding and housing, invest in green space, work with school districts and repair roads.In his current role as a member of the METRO Management Boardd, Hollins manages the $7 billion expansion plan and also expects to transition the public transit system to renewable energy by 2030.

Find out more about Chris Hollins in his campaignofficial site.

Lee Kaplan,Lawyer

Attorney Lee Kaplan announced his candidacy for mayor in January 2022. A political freshman, Kaplan graduated from Princeton and returned to Texas to study law at the University of Texas. After graduating with honors, Kaplan joined local law firm Baker Botts to review cases and appeals, eventually becoming a partner where he continued litigating. His southern ingenuity led him to co-founded his own firm, Smyser Kaplan & Veselka, where he handles everything from oil and gas to patent and trademark infringement and class action litigation. According to Kaplan's website, his knowledge of the law brought a different approach to his first run for political officeHandled hundreds of "high tech" caseswhere he became an expert in the intricacies of business, scientific, and environmental concepts and constructions. His candidacy for mayor stems from "the insane difficulty of dealing with the city's bureaucracy." His vision is to create a more progressive Houston by tackling the city's problems head-on.

In running for mayor of Houston, Kaplan wants to address issues such as rising crime, properly train police officers to deter and prevent crime, improve city planning, provide quality opportunities for Houston's youth, and work to make Houston a cleaner city make. His promise is not to "solve" or "fix" problems, but to face them and make progress every day.

Find out more about Lee Kaplan in his campaignofficial site.