Abbott announces Nov. 5 special election to replace late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced Friday that the special election to fill the vacant seat left by the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee will be held Nov. 5, the same day as the general election.

Candidates who wish to have their name placed on the special election ballot must file their applications with Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson’s office by Aug. 22, Abbott said in the announcement.

Jackson Lee represented Texas’s 18th District, which includes most of inner Houston, for nearly three decades. The congresswoman died earlier this month at the age of 74.

Her family revealed the death on social platform X, but did not specify a cause. The news came about a month after Jackson Lee announced she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment.

Jackson Lee was first elected to the House in 1994. She served on the House Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget committees. The Texas Democrat also introduced legislation, which President Biden signed in 2021, that made Juneteenth a federal holiday.

Biden flew to Texas this week to visit Houston City Hall, where Jackson Lee is lying in state. Shortly after her death, he honored her in a statement as a “great American” who was “always fearless.” Vice President Harris delivered remarks at her funeral service Thursday.

A group of bipartisan lawmakers also memorialized the late congresswoman as an advocate for change and “fighter” for justice following the news of her death.

Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D), state Rep. Jarvis Johnson (D) and Houston Council member Letitia Plummer (D) have been floated as potential candidates in the special election, the Texas Tribune reported last month.