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After badly losing a runoff election over the weekend in a bid to become Houston’s first Black female mayor, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) filed paperwork with Democrats in Texas indicating that she will seek a 16th term in the House.
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Lee, 73, is expected to face at least one well-funded challenger in a Democratic primary next year, the first time she has had serious opposition from within her party since entering Congress in 1995.
Derek Kelly, chief of staff for the Harris County Democratic Party, said the organization accepted Lee’s application to appear on the congressional primary ballot on Monday morning, hours before the 6 p.m. filing deadline. Kelly said only one other candidate has filed to run for the Houston-area seat: Amanda Edwards, a former at-large City Council member.
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In Texas, political parties — as opposed to the state — run the primaries, and the Harris County Democratic Party accepts filings for candidates running for seats that are wholly within the county, Kelly said. Barring any problems with Lee’s paperwork — none were expected — she will appear on the primary ballot, he said.
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Lee’s congressional office did not immediately respond to an email on Monday seeking comment.
Democrat John Whitmire elected Houston mayor, defeating congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
Lee has faced nominal Democratic opponents since entering Congress nearly three decades ago. Last year, she did not have a challenger in the Democratic primary and won the general election with 70 percent of the vote.
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On Monday afternoon, Edwards posted a video on Facebook reiterating her call for a generational change in the congressional district.
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“This district is ready for change” and a leader who can apply “a fresh perspective,” Edwards says in the video.
Edwards, 41, told The Washington Post on Monday that the congressional race represented a chance to “pass the torch” to a new generation of leaders. Edwards also said she supports the reelection of President Biden, 81, whose age has increasingly drawn critical attention from voters and people within the Democratic Party.
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“Just because we are making the case for why change is needed doesn’t mean you can’t support the best candidate in the field, even if they don’t represent that generational change,” Edwards said. “In this case, there’s no next-gen leader who has appeared in the presidential race.”
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According to the latest campaign finance filings, from late September, Edwards had nearly $830,000 in her campaign account; Lee had $213,000.
In November, Lee came in second place in the nonpartisan mayoral vote, which featured a total of 18 candidates; the top vote-getter was state Sen. John Whitmire, a fellow Democrat. Because Whitmire did not get the 50 percent of the vote needed to avoid a runoff, he faced off on Saturday against Lee.
Lee was heavily outspent in the mayor’s race and dealt with the fallout from a leaked audio recording in which she is purportedly heard cursing at and berating her congressional staff for incompetence.
On Saturday, Whitmire defeated Lee in the runoff, winning 65 percent of the vote.
Whitmire, 73, will replace Mayor Sylvester Turner, who is leaving office because of term limits.
2024 presidential candidates Catch up on the winners and losers and takeaways from the fourth Republican primary debate. Compare where the 2024 presidential candidates stand on key issues like abortion, climate and the economy.
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Democrats: President Biden is running for reelection in 2024. Here is The Post’s ranking of the top 10 Democratic presidential candidates for 2024.
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