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A former member of the Houston City Council withdrew from the crowded Houston mayoral race on Monday in favor of seeking the office of one of her now-former election rivals, Houston-based media outlets reported.
Amanda Edwards announced that she’s a candidate for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, which is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston), who, in turn, has her eye on the Bayou City’s highest position.
“As a native Houstonian and a former city council member, I know firsthand that residents are ready for servant leadership that places people over politics and delivers results,” Edwards, an attorney by profession, said in a Facebook post. “As your next congresswoman, I’m prepared to lead an effective fight for access to opportunity for our community.”
Edwards was once part of a field that currently includes State Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston), incumbent Houston City Councilman Robert Gallegos, Jackson Lee and several others.
Edwards’ decision to drop out of the contest to succeed the term-limited Sylvester Turner came about two months after Chris Hollins, who’s best known for leading the Harris County Clerk’s Office during the 2020 election, abandoned his mayoral aspirations to run for city controller.
Jackson Lee, who has served in Washington, D.C. since 1995, launched her campaign at the end of March, Houston Daily reported.
According to a report from Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, Edwards sat on Houston City Council as an at-large representative from 2016 to 2020.
The station reported that she’s a product of the Aldine Independent School District (AISD) and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Emory University in Atlanta.
Before Edwards entered her name in the mayor’s race, she ran in the Texas Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in 2020.
She lost to Air Force veteran M.J. Hegar, who would ultimately lose to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in that fall’s elections.