Former Houston Mayor and U.S. Representative Sylvester Turner Dies at 70
Turner only served Texas' 18th Congressional District for two months.
U.S. Representative Sylvester Turner of Texas, a Democrat, died Tuesday evening. He was 70. He fell ill while preparing to attend President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress last night. He was admitted to a hospital but passed away at his Washington, D.C. residence later after being discharged.
Turner served Texas’ 18th Congressional District for only two months. He was nominated at the Democratic convention to replace longtime Representative Sheila Jackson Lee on the November ballot after she died in July 2024 of pancreatic cancer. Both Jackson Lee and Turner were longtime fixtures in Houston politics.
A graduate of Harvard Law School, Turner founded his own firm Barnes & Turner in 1983. He practiced immigration law for many years in Houston. His political career began in 1988 when he was elected to serve District 139 in the Texas House of Representatives. He held the seat for 27 years! Despite operating in a Republican-dominated chamber, Turner was the only Democrat to chair a budget subcommittee, overseeing funding for the judiciary, criminal justice and public safety.
After two unsuccessful campaigns in 1991 and 2003, Turner was elected Mayor of Houston in 2015. He was victorious in the nonpartisan runoff 51-49 against attorney Bill King. His 2019 re-election also went to a runoff where he prevailed 56-44 against lawyer Tony Buzbee. He was term-limited and couldn’t seek re-election in 2023 where his longtime colleague in the State Senate, John Whitmire, won the contest to succeed him.
Turner previously pledged to be a transition candidate for citizens of the 18th District. He offered a known quantity to rally behind following Jackson Lee’s death. In November 2024, he was elected 69.4-30.6 against Republican Lana Centonze. Now, the district will have to prepare for a special election. A timeline is not outlined for when Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, must announce the special election. However, it cannot occur more than two months after the announcement.
The special election will be a nonpartisan contest where every candidate regardless of party will compete on the same ballot. It will require a candidate to achieve a 50%+1 majority to be elected outright. If not, then the top two finishers will advance to a runoff that would have to also be scheduled.
During the 119th Congress, Turner served on the House Committees on Homeland Security; and Science, Space and Technology.
Texas’ 18th Congressional District is based in Downtown Houston taking in the heavily Black and Hispanic neighborhoods of the inner city. Democrats have held the seat ever since its current figuration was formed in 1972!
Under the current lines, Democrat Kamala Harris won Texas’ 18th Congressional District with a 69-29 finish against Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. That came as Trump was carrying the state 56.1-42.5 in his ultimately successful national campaign.
The district was even more favorable for Democrat Colin Allred in the U.S. Senate election in 2024. He carried the 18th District 71-26 against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. Nevertheless, Cruz was re-elected 53.0-44.6 in that race.
With Turner’s death, the U.S. House of Representatives currently features 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats. Three vacancies currently exist. Two in Florida will be filled in special elections next month. Meanwhile, another vacancy will eventually be created when the U.S. Senate confirms Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.