Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee fends off primary challenge in Texas after mayoral loss

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) won the Democratic primary for her seat representing the Houston area in the House, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ.

Jackson Lee, who served in Congress since the mid-1990s, faced an unexpectedly competitive primary race for her House seat representing Texas’s 18th Congressional District. She had previously run for Houston mayor last year, but lost.

She didn’t file for reelection until December of last year, after getting defeated in the runoff for mayor of Houston by fellow Democrat John Whitmire. At the time, she explained she would run again for the House because she was “compelled by the numerous opportunities still ahead to enhance the lives of my constituents.”

In the closely watched House race, Jackson Lee was up against Democratic challenger and former Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards, who had initially launched a mayoral bid before dropping out to try for Congress.

Another long-shot candidate, Robert Slater, dropped out of the race just last month to endorse Jackson Lee, according to the Houston Chronicle, leaving Edwards as the lone challenger on the ballot.

A former Jackson Lee intern, Isaiah Martin, also launched a bid for the congressional seat while the congresswoman tried for mayor, but he quickly suspended and endorsed Jackson Lee for reelection.

A poll released late last month from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs showed Jackson Lee with just a slim, single-digit advantage over Edwards, suggesting there was a real chance the long-term congresswoman could lose control of her House seat.

Houston is one of the most populous cities in the country, with an increasingly young population — and some were frustrated during the mayoral race by Jackson Lee and Whitmire, both in their 70s.

But Jackson Lee’s Super Tuesday primary win is a promising comeback from her loss in the mayoral race last year.