Sylvester Turner, Houston congressman and former mayor, dies at 70

HOUSTON (CN) — Sylvester Turner, former mayor of Houston and current Democratic congressman for Texas’s 18th District, died in a Washington hospital Wednesday.

Rep. Turner’s death comes after a yearslong battle with bone cancer, though he announced he was cancer-free in 2022. The cause of his death has not been made public.

Turner served two terms as Houston’s mayor from 2016 to 2024, the peak of a decadeslong career in state politics that included 27 years in the Texas House.

Following his tenure as mayor, Turner succeeded Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a fellow longtime Houston Democrat who died in June 2024 from complications of pancreatic cancer at the age of 74, as the representative for Texas’s 18th district. Turner faced tough competition in the local party’s nomination, but easily won the election in the Democratic stronghold district.

As happened after Jackson Lee died, Texas Governor Greg Abbott will call a special election, as required by the Constitution, to fill Turner’s seat for the remainder of the term. However, state law does not give Abbott a specific deadline to call the election, only that it must happen within two months of his announcement.

John Whitmire, the current mayor of Houston and longtime colleague of Turner’s in the Texas Legislature, announced Turner’s death during a City Council meeting Wednesday morning.

“I would ask Houstonians to come together, pray for his family, [and] join us in celebrating this remarkable public servant,” Whitmire said at the meeting. “Celebrate his life, which we will be doing.”

Dustin Burrows, the Texas House speaker and an ardent Republican, paid tribute to Turner on social media.

“Elisabeth and I are saddened to hear the news of Congressman Sylvester Turner’s passing. His decades of public service — from the halls of the Legislature to Houston City Hall and, most recently, our nation’s Capitol — leave behind a legacy of leadership and advocacy for the people of Houston. Our condolences and prayers go out to his family, friends, and the entire Houston community during this difficult time. May he rest in peace.”

Turner’s death leaves the House at a 218-214 split, giving Republicans one extra vote of breathing room in the upcoming legislative contest over the federal budget.