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U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s daughter, Erica Lee Carter, will be the only Democrat on the ballot seeking to finish the late congresswoman’s term, priming Carter for a few weeks in Congress as a bridge to a candidate who will fill a full term.
At the special election filing deadline at 6 p.m. Thursday evening, Carter was one of three candidates — the other two are Republicans — running to succeed her mother in the Houston-based district. If elected on Nov. 5, Carter would serve until the next Congress is sworn in on Jan. 5.
As of now, Carter will face Republicans Maria Dunn and Kevin Dural in the heavily Democratic district.
Also on Nov. 5, on the general election ballot, voters will elect their representative for the next term, a full two years. Democratic officers last week selected former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner as the new general election nominee following a tightly contested replacement process. Carter is not running for the full term; she and her brother endorsed Turner ahead of his nomination.
Turner will face Republican Lana Centonze. Jackson Lee died last month amid a battle with pancreatic cancer after serving in Congress for nearly three decades.
For the special election, a candidate must avoid a runoff by winning a majority of the vote to be sworn in at all, given that a special election wouldn’t take place until after the general election victor is sworn in.
In a statement when Carter announced her candidacy, she said Democrats should unite to “regain their vote.” Democratic officials in Houston, including those who sought to be the replacement nominee, endorsed Carter for the special election.
After officials selected Turner as the new Democratic general election nominee by 41 votes to 37, beating out former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, he told the Tribune he supported Carter on the special election ballot.
“It would be a fitting tribute to the legacy of the congresswoman for her daughter to serve out the remainder of her term,” Turner said.
Edwards said she would support the Democratic ticket.
Carter previously was elected as a Democrat to the Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees, serving from 2013 to 2019. She has served as a policy adviser to Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis since 2020.
A second special election will take place in McLennan County, where Republican Waco businessman Pat Curry and Democratic attorney Erin Shank will fight in both the special and general election contests on Nov. 5.
State Rep. Doc Anderson, R-Waco, resigned last week, saying he wished to give his successor a head start on seniority within the Texas House. Anderson endorsed Curry’s opponent during the Republican primary but began talks with Curry following that election and endorsed him for the general and special elections.
The 89th Texas House will include at least 31 new members when it convenes in January, likely including more than 20 Republicans. There are 150 members in the House. By being sworn in before the next session begins, Curry would leapfrog in seniority, positioning himself for a future spot on high-ranking committees.
Disclosure: Harris County Department of Education has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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