John Whitmire has been elected as the next mayor of Houston
The election was nonpartisan and had significant implications for addressing concerns about public safety and a looming budget crisis
Whitmire heavily outspent Jackson Lee in the campaign
Houston, Texas, has elected a new mayor in a runoff election held on Saturday. The election saw Texas State Sen. John Whitmire and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee vying for the position. Whitmire, who has represented the city for 50 years, emerged victorious, becoming the oldest big city mayor in the U.S.
The election was nonpartisan and had significant implications for addressing concerns about public safety and a looming budget crisis. Crime rates and public safety were key issues for voters. Whitmire advocated for increased police presence, while Jackson Lee criticized his record on incarceration.
The city has been relying on federal COVID relief funds to balance its budgets, but that money is about to run out. Whitmire campaigned on reducing crime, improving infrastructure, and bringing people together. He heavily outspent Jackson Lee, who faced fallout from the release of an unverified audio recording.
In addition to the mayoral race, the Houston city controller runoff was between Chris Hollins and Orlando Sanchez. Seven city council seats were also decided in the runoff. Early voting totals showed 120,155 people voted in person and 11,732 voted by mail for a total of 131,887. About 135,000 voters had cast ballots by the end of the early voting period. The turnout for the 2019 mayoral runoff was at 19% of registered voters. Vote-counting usually takes less than 24 hours.
The election will have significant implications for addressing concerns about public safety and a looming budget crisis
Crime rates and public safety are key issues for voters, with Whitmire advocating for increased police presence and Jackson Lee criticizing his record on incarceration
The city has been relying on federal COVID relief funds to balance its budgets, but that money is about to run out
