By: Rachel Thompson
Following U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee’s defeat in the Houston mayoral runoff, she promptly filed for reelection to the Texas 18th Congressional District seat. As the Houston Chronicle noted, Lee has “cruised” to victory virtually every time she has been up for re-election since 1994, however, that might change this time against Amanda Edwards who once interned for Jackson-Lee. According to Houston Public Media, black voters did not show the same support to the congresswoman in either round of the mayoral contest as they did for Sylvester Turner during his mayoral races. Whitmire also tied with JacksonLee among women, cutting into another one of her critical support groups. Census figures show Houston is becoming younger, with a median age of 35. Currently, 25% of the population is below the age of 18. Both Jackson-Lee and Edwards will have to connect with Gen Z, Gen X, and Millennials of all ethnicities if they plan to win the primary, as well as persuade them to vote.
With roughly 800,000 residents and only 258,000 registered voters in the 18th District, connecting with residents, and then turning potential supporters into actual voters will be the key. Jackson-Lee recently attended an outreach event co-sponsored by Houston-based Rap-A-Lot Records in an attempt to connect with young voters, as well as to encourage them to go to the polls and vote.
The Texas 18th District has voted for a Democratic presidential candidate and House candidate since 1972. It voted for Biden in 2020, and similarly, in 2022, for its current House occupant Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. A 2021 Pew Research survey found that 52% of Gen Z adults, or those born after 1996, identify as independents while only 31% identify as Democrats. Reaching this target demographic may prove to be a challenge for Jackson-Lee when competing against Edwards, a younger native Houstonian with deep political and personal roots in the 18th District. Ads on television, radio, and in newspapers seemed to have made the difference for Whitmire.
He spent over $2,000,000. on advertisements while Jackson-Lee spent $60,000. According to the Federal Election Commission’s Campaign finance data, Edwards raised $1,033,802.07 and has $829,397.04 cash on hand, compared to Isaiah Martin’s $283,734.60 and Jackson-Lee’s $213,042.19 cash on hand. If the race to the Congressional seat patterns itself after the mayoral runoff, Edwards will be able to outspend her opponents on advertisements, thereby increasing her chances to further cut into Jackson-Lee’s base as well as reach younger independent voters.
