Daughter of late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is running for her mother’s former House seat

The daughter of the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Erica Lee Carter, announced Monday that she will run in the special election for the U.S. House seat formerly held by her mother to fill out the remainder of the late congresswoman’s term.

This comes after Texas Democrat Jackson Lee died last month at the age of 74 after a battle with pancreatic cancerHe had represented Texas’s 18th Congressional District for 30 years.

Lee Carter said in a statement: “I want to finish for my mom!”

“Nearly two weeks after burying my beloved mother, the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, I am honored to thank the entire Houston community for the overwhelming outpouring of love, support and appreciation for our entire family,” Lee Carter wrote. “Having witnessed firsthand my mother’s tremendous commitment to public service and legislative acumen, the countless stories and moments I have heard since her passing have made her ‘larger than life’ presence even greater.”

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Passes Away After Battling Pancreatic Cancer

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, died last month at the age of 74 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. (Reuters/Erin Scott)

“The people of the 18th Congressional District re-elected my mother to the 118th Congress to protect their interests and defend our democratic values,” he continued. “Congresswoman Jackson Lee kept their interests in her heart and mind until the very end. Since then, many community leaders and staunch Democratic supporters have asked me to consider completing her term this year by running for office in the November 5 Special Election. After careful consideration, the answer is YES.”

Jackson Lee too She previously battled breast cancerhaving been diagnosed in 2011, before announcing the following year that she was cancer-free.

Prior to her time in Congress, Jackson Lee served as a judge before being elected to an at-large seat on the Houston City Council in 1989.

KAMALA HARRIS TO ATTEND REPRESENTATIVE SHEILA JACKSON LEE’S FUNERAL IN TEXAS

Last year, Jackson Lee ran an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Houston, losing by a wide margin to then-state Sen. John Whitmire, also a Democrat, before announcing he would seek reelection to Congress.

“My mother was the one who got things done completely,” Lee Carter wrote. “She stayed up until the last minute in her Washington congressional office, supported community events late into the night, made calls on ‘people’s business’ into the early hours of the morning, closed every important meeting with a request, a solution or a next step, and never took ‘no’ for a final answer.”

Lee Carter said he cared for his mother until her death.

The winner of the special election, to be held on Nov. 5, would serve only the remainder of the current term, which runs through Jan. 3.

Sheila Jackson Lee attends the UNCF A Mind Is… Gala at Hilton Americas-Houston on November 18, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

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A separate general election race will also be held on Nov. 5 for a chance to hold the seat for the next Congress, which runs from Jan. 3, 2025, to Jan. 3, 2027. Harris County Democratic Party precinct chairs will meet Tuesday to nominate a candidate in that race to run against Republican Lana Centonze in the district considered safe for Democrats.

Lee Carter said that if the people of Texas’ 18th Congressional District trust her with their vote, then she wants to complete the 118th session “the way (Jackson Lee) would have done, supporting justice, equality, health care, human rights and economic opportunity for all.”

“I call on all Harris County Democrats to come together to ensure that the people of Congressional District 118 regain their right to vote on crucial national issues,” said Lee Carter. “Together, we will achieve the goal of my mother, the Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee.”