AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former Houston mayor and current U.S. Congressman Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) died suddenly Wednesday morning at age 70, his family announced. Turner served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives for almost 30 years before becoming Houston’s mayor from 2016 to 2024.
Turner was elected in November to fill Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s seat representing the 18th Congressional District, and his term began in January. He was not up for reelection until late 2026.
Turner was at the Capitol on Tuesday night for President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress. He suffered a medical emergency following the address and was hospitalized Tuesday night but later released. He died at home in Washington D.C. on Wednesday morning.
On Wednesday, hours after Turner’s passing, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered all flags statewide to be flown at half-staff until March 8th in his honor.
“Texas has lost a longtime leader and dedicated public servant with the death of Congressman Sylvester Turner of Houston. As a mark of respect for his public service as state representative, mayor, and congressman, it is fitting that flags be lowered to half-staff in his honor,” Abbott said in a statement.
On Thursday, the Texas House of Representatives voted unanimously to allow Turner to lie in honor at the Hall of the House of Representatives at the Texas State Capitol on March 13 and 14 next week. He will also lie in state at Houston City Hall on March 11, the city of Houston announced Friday.
As far as his congressional seat, it’s in the hands of Abbott. Turner’s seat will need to be filled by a special election under Abbott’s discretion.
State law does not set a deadline for Abbott to make the official announcement for a special election. But, once he calls it, the law requires him to schedule it on a Tuesday or Saturday within about two months of the announcement, if it’s to be held as an emergency election.
If it will not be held as an emergency election, the contest will be held at the next regularly scheduled election, which in this case would be the first Saturday in May. During this period before the special election, the congressional district remains without direct representation and Turner’s seat will stay empty.
Because it would be a special election, no primary election would be required, and it would go to a runoff if no candidate got more than 50% plus one of the votes.
The 18th Congressional District is known for producing some of the most prominent Black lawmakers in Texas history, including Barbara Jordan, the first Black woman elected to Congress from the south. It covers several key Houston neighborhoods, including downtown, East Downtown Houston, Third Ward and Fifth Ward. The district also extends northwest through parts of the Heights and Acres Homes, reaches up to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and encompasses a portion of northeast Houston and unincorporated Harris County.
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