TSU's Adams on upcoming Houston mayoral election: 'We have an impressive field so far'

In about 10 months, registered voters in the City of Houston will head to the polls to elect a successor to the term-limited incumbent mayor, Sylvester Turner. 

According to a report from Houston NBC affiliate KPRC, the field of aspirants is seemingly crowded and is expected to grow even more before the Monday, Aug. 21 deadline to file for candidacy.

A look at the list of confirmed candidates reveals some high-profile names such as Amanda Edwards, a former member of Houston City Council who ran in the 2020 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate; Chris Hollins, who oversaw the Harris County Clerk’s Office during the hotly contested 2020 general election; and veteran state lawmaker John Whitmire. 

As of Tuesday, nine people are seeking the mayorship of Texas’ largest city. 

“We have an impressive field so far,” Texas Southern University’s (TSU) Dr. Michael Adams told KPRC. “There may be others who will get into the race that could be considered to be formidable candidates.”

Per KPRC, Adams, who chairs the political science department at the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at TSU, said the candidate with the heftiest war chest is the one likely to go all the way. 

The station reported that millions have been raised with 307 days to go until the Nov. 7 race. 

Public financial records filed with the city and state show that Whitmire is the top campaign fundraiser with nearly $10 million in cash on hand, KPRC reported.

The website Politico reported that Houston, which is home to about 2.3 million people, joins San Antonio, Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia as the five major U.S. cities to hold mayoral elections later this year. 

While Turner is barred from seeking reelection, Politico reported, Dallas’ Eric Johnson and San Antonio’s Ron Nirenberg are eyeing additional terms. 

Adams told KPRC that the Houston contest is shaping up to be one of the costliest the city has seen in recent years.