font-size: .9em; Among them, public safety is a driving issue for the candidate. of the recovery and rebuild efforts to the Texas General Land Office. font-size: 2em; .cfheader { Vote: John Whitmire voted Nay (Passage) - SB 260 - Amends Regulations Related to Immigration and Refugee Affairs 06/15/2011. He defeated his intraparty challenger, Damian LaCroix, 9,756 (75.1 percent) to 3,232 votes (24.9 percent). Source1Source2. By Leah Foreman div.survey-scrollbox { height:400px; overflow:scroll; margin:20px; padding:10px; border:1px solid gray; } Whitmire won re-election to the Texas State Senate in 2010. max-width: 75px; In addition to being a senator, Whitmire is also an attorney of counsel at Locke, Liddell and Sapp. .votebox-results-metadata-p { They include State Sen. John Whitmire, former city councilmember Amanda Edwards, former county . He also served as the Acting Governor of Texas in 1993[2] as part of the Governor for A Day tradition. Takeover Look. [9], Whitmire was angered by convicted murderer's Lawrence Russell Brewer refusal to eat the extensive last meal he ordered prior to his September 21, 2011, execution. for Tuesdays event included many Republicans such as retiring state Rep. Dan Huberty (R-Humble) and real estate developer Dick Weekley. Campaign. | State Sen. John Whitmire formally launched his campaign for Houston mayor Tuesday evening with a fundraiser at the ritzy Post Oak Hotel, attended by dozens of the citys political luminaries including the hotels billionaire owner, Tilman Fertitta, and several other Republican mega-donors who are opening their checkbooks for Whitmire, a moderate Democrat. During that election cycle, Whitmire raised a total of $1,932,588. Texas Sen. John Whitmire District 15 ( D -Houston) Editor's note: The Tribune's directory is updated with Texas' new elected officials, who took office in January 2023 in recently redrawn. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. vertical-align: middle; Her former column, All In Perspective ran in The Georgetown Advocate, Jarrell Star Ledger, and The Hill Country News, and she has contributed to a variety of Texas digital media outlets. Whitmire won the primary following a runoff election and easily defeated his Republican opponent. Whitmire, the longest running Texas senator, announced Wednesday that he will. .source-link { } Its rattlesnake season in Texas. list-style-type: circle; His views on criminal justice, and his support from GOP-aligned donors, have attracted some early backlash from Democrats, including Hollins, who noted last month on Twitter that Whitmire had not endorsed Hidalgo in the county judges race. a[aria-expanded=true] .fa-chevron-right { display: none; } Other announced candidates include former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, who presided over the controversial 2020 general election in Harris County and has raised $1.1 million. Ballot measures, Who represents me? U.S. Congress | The longest-serving member of the Texas Senate, Democrat John Whitmire is the first of the now four candidates to announce his run for mayor. Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. } }. Houston Public Media is supported with your gifts to the Houston Public Media Foundation and is licensed to the University of Houston. .cftable td { In 2018, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session. John Whitmire's Biography . I love Houston, as so many of you do. background-color: #003388; [5] Whitmire's political science professor Richard Murray was the one to inspire him to run for office as he illustrated the newly drawn district lines that encompassed Whitmire's neighborhood. We are not New York or Chicago. Whitmire was assigned to the following committees: .subcommittee { During that election cycle, Whitmire raised a total of $1,137,788. The senator contacted the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and asked the agency to end the practice of last meal requests or he would get the State Legislature to pass a bill doing so. "As Houston's first African-American police chief and mayor, I am proud to endorse Senator John Whitmire to be Houston's next mayor," said Former Mayor Brown. Biography HOUSTON The race for Houston mayor is starting to heat up as Sylvester Turner 's term limit ends next year. I believe using my experience and commitment to public service we will make Houston even better. background-color: #f4f4f4; A longtime Houston politician, Whitmire holds close ties to the city's public employee unions, including the police and fire unions. There will be an anti-takeover event this afternoon at Discovery Green. font-weight: 200; The John Whitmire for Mayor Campaign put this out this morning: John Whitmire announced today that former Houston City Councilmember James Rodriguez has endorsed him in his campaign for mayor of the City of Houston. Standing next to a display that referred to the region as the "Murder Capital of Texas," state Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) and Harris County Deputies Organization (HCDO) President David Cuevas called for county leaders to address crime and provide more resources for law enforcement. Adv. State legislature | , and dysfunctional city services, and emphasized regional public safety challenges. Last year, Whitmire voted for a GOP-backed bail bill that limits the opportunity for defendants to be released on no-cost personal bonds and gives judges more information about a defendants criminal history when setting bail. After she married, her husband's brother, John Whitmire, already a rising star in the Texas Democratic Party, was a willing political mentor. Another 6,266 votes (2.7 percent) went to the Libertarian choice, Gilberto "Gil" Velasquez, Jr.[7], In 1993, Whitmire was appointed by Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock as Chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, where he oversaw reforms to the penal code and increased construction of prisons, to generally favorable reception. In 2020, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development audit flagged Houstons slow pace in administering Hurricane Harvey recovery funds, prompting the federal agency to shift control of the recovery and rebuild efforts to the Texas General Land Office. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. The event comes roughly a year after Whitmire told supporters at a campaign rally that he planned to run for mayor. His old friends call him something else: "Boogie," a. margin: auto; John Whitmire's Finances . font-weight: bold; 100% remote. When you had a strong mayor form of government and when you are the mayor in this city, you run this city. Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. [3] He began his law studies at the Bates College of Law, then passed the bar in 1981 while still serving in the House. .clearfix { John Whitmire Texas State Senate District 15 $9,503,981 Cash on Hand. width: 500, Whitmire's first mayoral campaign finance report, filed Tuesday, shows $1.1 million in new donations between his formal campaign launch in November and the end of the year. We fix our problems.. .mw-body #mw-content-text th.votebox-results-cell--text { } .contact_office { margin-top: 0.3em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} text-align: left !important; $('.collapse').collapse('show'); Your subscription will be migrated over. A handful of other candidates have joined the race since then, including former Harris County clerk Chris Hollins, former city councilmember Amanda Edwards and attorney Lee Kaplan. In response to the question "Should the federal government institute a mandatory buyback of assault weapons?", John Whitmire's response was. --view-more-background: #f0a236; And the real solution is, dont commit a crime and you stay at home and be cool. .key-messages li:last-child { margin-bottom: 0px;} clear: both; var nTimer = setInterval(function() { clear: both; } Resources like these are made possible by the generosity of our community of donors, foundations, and corporate partners. This membership information was last updated in March 2021. In 2021, the Texas State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 31. div.oneoff-scrollbox.short { height:250px; overflow:scroll; margin:20px; padding:10px; border:1px solid gray; } width: 250px; State executives | flex: 0 0 150px; width: 50%; See the content from The Texans 88th Session Kickoff! I can tell you this. Earlier this year, William Paul-Thomas, a senior aide to Turner, In addition to a fundraising advantage, Whitmire although a, appears to be drawing support from both sides of the political aisle. A scorecard evaluates a legislators voting record. font-size: 20px; margin-top: 1px; .widget-row { The more pressing matter Whitmire's re-election to. $('#candidate-connection-twitter-104978').on('click', () => { ga('send', 'event', 'surveycta', 'surveycta-click-twitter'); }); In 1392 John initiated a new partition of Bavaria since he refused to finance the Italian adventures of his brothers . .results_row td:first-child { State Sen. John Whitmire, the longest-tenured member of the Texas Senate, launched his campaign for Houston mayor on Tuesday. He noted some courtrooms were still closed despite nearly 2,000 murder suspects awaiting trial and more than 900 suspects out on bond for murder or capital murder. background: #4c4c4c; left: 0; })(); See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection.
background-color: black !important; Texas Senator John Whitmire announced he will be running for mayor in 2023, kicking. document.getElementById('leg-hnt-content64038e9c5b59e').classList.remove('leg-hnt-hide'); .leg-hnt-flex-item { 2005-2022 Community Impact Newspaper Co. All rights reserved. mail Email. background-color: #6db24f; [3], In his early teenage years, he moved to North Houston and attended Waltrip High School. Whitmire won re-election to the Texas State Senate in 2006. height: 56px; Senator John Whitmire today expressed his gratitude for the endorsement of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Foundation, AFL-CIO in the Houston mayor's race. backImage: "flat", Resources like these are made possible by the generosity of our community of donors, foundations, and corporate partners. .race_header.democratic { font-size: 12px; font-size: 1.2em; background-color: #db0000; padding-bottom: 0px; height: 22px; Updated 10hrs ago. ". In 2020, the Texas State Legislature was not in session. Whitmire, a Democrat, has represented Houston in the Legislature since 1973, first as a state representative and then in the Senate beginning in 1983. Addressing a bipartisan crowd of more than 600 at Houstons Post Oak Hotel, Whitmire said he had personally witnessed the fallout from homelessness, decaying streets, illegal dumping, and dysfunctional city services, and emphasized regional public safety challenges. } box-sizing: border-box; .inner_percentage, .inner_percentage.Nonpartisan, .inner_percentage.Independent, .inner_percentage.Constitution, .inner_percentage.unknown { tForeground: "#444444", The announcement confirmed a move that was rumored for months and made Whitmire the first candidate to publicly announce his intention to succeed Sylvester Turner as the mayor of the state's most populous city. margin: 5px auto; If John Whitmire is our mayor, that wouldnt have happened.. Kathy Whitmire's exposure to and interest in city politics began in her parents' home. display: block; The general election was held on November 4, 2014. Office. Austin, TX, November 30, 2022 Longtime state Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) formally launched his campaign for Houston mayor Tuesday evening with promises to address myriad problems faced by the state's most populous city, unveiling his campaign slogan: "Fix Houston.". } In 2017, the Texas State Legislature was in its 85th legislative session from January 10 through May 29. They know if Im mayor, its going to be very transparent, honest and play no favors, he said. Incumbent John Whitmire defeated Randy Orr and Gilberto Velasquez Jr. in the general election for Texas State Senate District 15 on November 6, 2018. event.srcElement.innerText = '[hide]'; A free bi-weekly commentary on current events by Konni Burton. In other controversies, Turner opposed a voter-approved pay parity measure for the citys firefighters, and the citys lawsuit to prevent implementation of the measure remains pending before the states Supreme Court. This is what the Whitmire Campaign for Mayor put out yesterday: John Whitmire Receives Endorsement. font-weight: bold; } padding-left: 10px; . .key-messages li {margin-bottom: 10px;} border-radius: 50%; } in political science from the University of Houston and also attended Bates College of Law at the University of Houston. His tenure earns him the title of Dean of the Senate. }. The results have been certified. height: 300, Elections for 15 of the 31 seats in the Texas State Senate took place in 2014. "[11], Campaign Website. padding-top: 5px; line-height: 1.5em; Representative Dutton says he agrees the district has improved, but he says the problems in the failing schools still havent been fixed. In 2022, the Texas State Legislature was not in session. BACKGROUND: Ahead of mayoral bid, state Sen. John Whitmire faces unexpected test in Senate primary. width: 43%; . On Jan. 17, Whitmire reported $10.1 million cash. On June 10, 2003, the Tulia defendants were freed on bond as provided for in Senator Whitmire's legislation. } .results_table { As for his run for mayor, Whitmire says he won't start campaigning in earnest for mayor until July of 2023, a month after the regular session ends in June. word-wrap: break-word; width: 150px; text-align: center; Addressing a bipartisan crowd of more than 600 at Houstons Post Oak Hotel, Whitmire said he had personally witnessed the fallout from homelessness, decaying streets. } He has built up his war chest over a decades-long career in the Legislature dating back to 1972, when he was elected to the state House while a senior at the University of Houston. rowCount: "25", [12], In 2003, Whitmire was one of the "Texas Eleven", a group of Democrats who fled the state for New Mexico in 2003 in a quorum-busting effort aimed at preventing the passage of redistricting legislation that would have benefited Texas Republicans. column-count: auto; In the hotel's reception room, Whitmire's first words to . paid for by the John Whitmire Campaign. Whitmire has served in the Senate since 1983. .leg-hnt-title { It is not yet clear how much of the $9.5 million Whitmire can transfer to his mayoral campaign, though he is expected to start the race with a massive financial advantage over the rest of the field. He was elected to the Texas Senate in 1982 after serving 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives. position: absolute; margin-bottom: 0px; Thirty minutes after the regular session ended, Governor Rick Perry called legislators back for a special session starting that evening. font-weight: bold; Whitmire, who is a moderate Democrat, said he got involved in the mayor's race when he got a call from constituents who told him that he can unite the community.