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The Texas Representative of the 18^th District, Sheila Jackson Lee, has announced her reelection campaign for the position after she ran for and lost the seat for the mayor of Houston. Her announcement came just two days after the mayoral race ended, in which her opponent, Democratic Senator John Whitmire earned the spot as the mayor. Her reelection would mark her 16^th term as a House Representative. The election will be held in 2024.

This year’s mayoral race for Houston became quite heated.

While the two most prominent names in the mayoral race were the now winner Senator John Whitmire and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, there were a total of 18 candidates running in the election. The election largely came down to concerns for safety on the streets. Whitmire and his policies earned him support from the Houston fire department and police unions, which made many voters feel well protected. He was able to garner the support of most moderates, independents, and conservatives. His campaign ran heavily under the promise of increasing policing in the city.

The election for the Mayor of Houston was a prominent one due to the size of the city. Houston comes in as the fourth largest city in the United States, having over 2.3 million people living in the city. The crime rates have increased but the perception of the crime in the city is far higher. Because of this perception of Houston as being unsafe, Whitmire was able to capitalize on this and push through for the win.

Jackson Lee herself also received big endorsements.

Hillary Clinton, Representative Nancy Pelosi, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, and the current Houston mayo Sylvester Turner, all expressed their support for Jackson Lee to transition into the mayor role. Clinton released a statement stating, “We need her leadership, her advocacy, her grit, to get stuff done for the people of Houston.”

The ultimate demise of Jackson Lee’s campaign was a leaked video in which she allegedly ranted at staffers, cursing in a berating tone at them. She did release an apology after the video came out, appearing to take ownership of the action and express her regret over it.

After this loss, only time will tell whether or not it will ultimately affect her attempts at reelection for her House seat. In November of 2024, we will learn if Jackson Lee has managed to maintain her supporters in her Downtown Houston district.