Houston mayoral candidate: 'Houstonians want a proven leader who understands the issues they care about'

The Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston (UH) recently published the results of a new survey that points toward a very close race for Houston mayor. The survey revealed state Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) to be the top two in the contest to succeed Mayor Sylvester Turner (D), with each candidate polling favorably among respondents.

“Relatively few voters say they don’t know enough to have an opinion about either Congresswoman Jackson Lee or, to a somewhat lesser extent, Sen. Whitmire, while more than half say they don’t know enough about the other challengers,” Hobby School senior executive director Renée Cross said, according to the UH website.

The Hobby School said that 34% responded that they’ll cast a vote for Whitmire, while 32% said they’ll vote for Jackson Lee. Their other opponents in the crowded field mustered no more than 3%, while about one-quarter said they don’t know who to vote for.

The survey hypothesizes a December runoff could pit Jackson Lee against Whitmire, with the latter projected to emerge the victor.

ABC 13 Eyewitness News reported that the poll showed 51% would cast a runoff vote for Whitmire, besting the 33% garnered by Jackson Lee.

Eight hundred of Houston's likely voters participated in the survey, which bore a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5%. Click2Houston.com reported that Whitmire said that he’s “pleased” with the support he’s receiving, as indicated by the survey.

“Houstonians want a proven leader who understands the issues they care about, and I am pleased they trust me to make the tough and smart decisions to see that city government meets the expectations citizens have a right to expect in our great city,” he told Click2Houston.com.

The mayoral election is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 7.