Who will replace Sheila Jackson Lee in Congress?

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, one of the longest-serving members of Congress and an icon of Houston politics, died Friday.

Jackson Lee was running for reelection in November. After handily winning the Democratic nomination over former Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards, she was widely expected to win another term representing the deeply blue district that includes parts of central Houston and large portions of northwest and northeast Harris County. Lana Centonze is running as a Republican.

Under state law, the Harris County Democratic Party executive committee will have until Aug. 26 to nominate a candidate to run in the Nov. 5 general election.

If the committee does not select a candidate in time, the Texas Democratic Party will then have two days, until Aug. 28, to make its choice.

LEARN MORE: Texas, National Leaders Honor Sheila Jackson Lee

Chad Dunn, a lawyer for the Texas Democratic Party, said state party rules recommend that, if possible, there be at least 10 days from the creation of the vacancy before a meeting is called.

County executive committees sometimes create an informal filing period, or they may create a survey for candidates to fill out, or they may flag the meeting and ask candidates to appear in person and make their presentation to the committee, Dunn said.

Gov. Greg Abbott has the power to call a special election to fill the vacancy until the end of Jackson Lee’s two-year term, which ends in January. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Once Abbott calls a special election, the law requires him to schedule it within about two months if it is to be held as an emergency election. State law does not set a deadline for Abbott to make the initial announcement.

In 2021, when U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, a Republican from North Texas, died of COVID-19, Abbott called a special election to fill the seat within about a month. The special election was held about two months later.

It is unclear when or if Abbott will call a special election to fill Jackson Lee’s seat, because by the time it happens, there will be only a few months left before the term expires.

The last time such a situation occurred was in 1968, when Democratic U.S. Representative Joe R. Pool died in July, also about six months before the end of his term. In that case, the governor called a special election about a month later.

Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, noted, however, that the political dynamics were different then, since Democrats controlled the state.

“Politics will come into play whenever possible,” Jillson said.

With the GOP’s razor-thin margin in Congress this year, a Democratic vacancy could make a difference on any bill, Jillson added.

Governors across the country have consistently been accused by political observers on both sides of the political spectrum of resorting to manic maneuvering in deciding when and whether to call special elections for congressional vacancies.