Houston mayoral race headed to runoff: Whitmire, Jackson Lee lead large pool of candidates

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Election Day has turned into Election Night in Houston, and we won't have a new mayor just yet. As expected, the mayoral race is headed to a runoff.

State Sen. John Whitmire and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee will face each other again on Dec. 9, after outpacing the other 16 candidates for mayor.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is term-limited after serving as mayor since 2016. So no matter who wins, Houston will elect a new mayor for the first time in eight years.

Whitmire and Jackson Lee lead most polls with more than 30%. As the early returns came in, those numbers held true.

WATCH MAYORAL DEBATE: 4 frontrunning candidates vying for Houston mayor finish final debate a week before Election Day

Four of Houston's top mayoral candidates debated for the final time about critical issues facing voters, such as crime, housing, and the economy.

Last month, a University of Houston poll found that 43% of voters indicated they would never vote for Jackson Lee, compared to 15% who said they would never vote for Whitmire.

The 15 other candidates each polled at 4% or less, with 22% of voters undecided. Former Metro Chair Gilbert Garcia outperformed the poll at more than 7% of the vote after the early vote numbers were tallied. Jack Christie, a former city council member, had just under seven percent.

The winners of the election will begin their terms of office on Jan. 2, 2024.

Who ran for mayor?

The following is the full list of candidates (listed alphabetically):

• Gaylon S. Caldwell

• Jack Christie

• Robert Gallegos

• Annie "Mama" Garcia

• Gilbert Garcia

• M. "Griff" Griffin

• Naoufal Houjami

• B. Ivy

• Sheila Jackson Lee

• Lee Kaplan

• M. J. Khan

• David C. Lowy

• Julian "Bemer" Martinez

• Chanel Mbala

• Kathy Lee Tatum

• Roy Vasquez

• John Whitmire

• Robin Williams (Write-In Candidate)

Who ran for city council?

Check who is running for each at-large seat and for your district on the City of Houston's website.

Who ran for city controller?

• Chris Hollins

• Dave Martin

• Shannan Nobles

• Orlando Sanchez

What about the statewide propositions?

Every Texas ballot this election features 14 numbered propositions, all of which would permanently alter the state's Constitution.

They deal with everything from water infrastructure and farming to property taxes and the mandatory retirement age for state judges.

ABC13 divided them into four categories to make them easier to understand.

• Fund-related props

• Props that relate to taxes

• Political propositions

• Single-county issues

READ MORE: 14 Texas ballot propositions divided into 4 categories ahead of Election Day

ABC13's Tom Abrahams digs into the proposed constitutional amendments and why Houston voters will have an outsized role in deciding whether they pass.

For more information on voting, visit harrisvotes.org.

For updates on this story, follow Tom Abrahams on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.