He joined the Hearst Austin bureau in 2021 after nearly three years as a City Hall reporter for the Chronicle and a prior stint covering Bexar County for the Express-News. Whitmire is Texas Senate's longest-serving member, and his plans include running for reelection to the Senate in 2022, serving in the 2023 legislative session, and then running for mayor in November that year, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. width: 250px; .leg-hnt-border-top { column-gap: 1em; Meet John; Conoce a John; Contact Us; GET IN TOUCH. Tags Amanda Edwards campaign finance Chris Hollins houston mayor Houston mayoral election James McIngvale Jim Mattress Mack McIngvale John Whitmire Lee Kaplan Mattress Mack State Sen. John Whitmire Tilman Fertitta. .infobox p { .key-messages li:last-child { margin-bottom: 0px;} } From Gulf Coast AFL-CIO in Houston Mayor's Race. In 2020, the Texas State Legislature was not in session. margin-bottom: 4px; max-width: 75px; border-radius: 50%; } Lt. Gov. text-align: center; .leg-hnt-flex-item { top: 0px; background-color: #dac113; p.survey-response {white-space: pre-line;} Houston has term limits, and Turner's second and final term will end in January 2024. Whitmire graduated with a B.A. In this, we have an open race with people who have to build their name ID from the beginning and make voters acquainted with them. div.oneoff-scrollbox.short { height:250px; overflow:scroll; margin:20px; padding:10px; border:1px solid gray; } Whitmire (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Texas State Senate to represent District 15. .panel-heading:hover { cursor: pointer;} Whitmire said his first response was "no" because he liked the work he was doing in the Senate. padding-bottom: 3px; We fix our problems.. We are not New York or Chicago. In 2017, the Texas State Legislature was in its 85th legislative session from January 10 through May 29. John Harris Whitmire (born August 13, 1949) is an American attorney and politician who is the longest-serving current member of the Texas State Senate.Since 1983, he has represented District 15, which includes much of northern Houston, Texas.His tenure earns him the title of Dean of the Senate. In addition to a fundraising advantage, Whitmire although a staunch Democrat appears to be drawing support from both sides of the political aisle. $('.collapse').collapse('hide'); "[11], Addressing a bipartisan crowd of more than 600 at Houston's Post Oak Hotel, Whitmire said he had personally . .inner_percentage, .inner_percentage.Nonpartisan, .inner_percentage.Independent, .inner_percentage.Constitution, .inner_percentage.unknown { Friday, March 20, 2020 - MONTGOMERY - The following statement from Secretary of State John H. Merrill is in direct response to this morning's opinion column written by Kyle Whitmire of AL.com: In an opinion column published this morning on AL.com, Kyle Whitmire stated "To preserve our right to vote and to protect public health, we must . Dan Patrick often alluded to Whitmire's possible run during this year's special legislative sessions. $(".collapse-all").on('click', () => { Office. National Federation of Independent Business in Texas, Texas Tribune Guest Column: Mark P. Jones, John Buntin, "The Correctionists," October 2010, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=John_Whitmire&oldid=8769085, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton this year. To contribute to the list of Texas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org. He did not graduate, as state law at the time allowed legislators entrance to the bar without a full J.D. --subtitle-background: #334aab; Whitmire is thelongest-serving member of the Texas Senate. width: 100%; Incumbent John Whitmire defeated Molly Cook in the Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 15 on March 1, 2022. 1158 - Duke Henry the Lion builds bridge, mint, and salt-depot. .cftable th { Join others and make your gift to Houston Public Media today. Senate seat will be on the ballot in 2032, and the next Governor's race would be in 2034. } John Whitmire's most recent views and policy on Gun Buyback in 2023. box-sizing: border-box; background-color: #f9d334; He assumed office in 1983. .leg-hnt-leadership > div { [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. } .leg-hnt-leadership-title { .widget-img { [3] He began his law studies at the Bates College of Law, then passed the bar in 1981 while still serving in the House. Randy Orr advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 15 on March 6, 2018. height: 50px; Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. Lucio Vasquez produces stories for Houston Public Media's daily radio newscast and writes stories for HoustonPublicMedia.org. As the longest-serving member of the states upper chamber, Whitmire is known as Dean of the Senate. He touts a campaign war chest of $9.7 million, but not all of those funds are available for his mayoral campaign due to the city-imposed contribution limits. margin: 0; Example video title will go here for this video. } We are not New York or Chicago. border: 1px solid #a2a9b1 !important; A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. height: 300, background-color: #6db24f; } From improving public safety by being tough but smart on crime to promoting economic development, especially small businesses, to making City Hall more efficient to benefit everyone, John Whitmire wants to use his years of experiencetomake Houston abetterplace to work and live. } } John Harris Whitmire (born August 13, 1949) is an American attorney and politician who is the longest-serving current member of the Texas State Senate.Since 1983, he has represented District 15, which includes much of northern Houston, Texas.His tenure earns him the title of Dean of the Senate. color: #0645ad; Let the Houston Public Media newsroom help you start your day.
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John Harris Whitmire (born August 13, 1949)[1] is an American attorney and politician who is the longest-serving current member of the Texas State Senate. } A free bi-weekly commentary on current events by Konni Burton. "Well I can tell you that public safety to me is near and dear to my heart and I don't think there's a member of the legislature that's worked as hard on common sense reforms and on being practical, affirm but fair, as it relates to keeping people safe," Acevedo said. They know if Im mayor, its going to be very transparent, honest, and play no favors, said Whitmire. } [3], Whitmire served in the Texas House with colleagues Gene Green, Craig Washington and Mickey Leland and eventually finished his undergraduate degree. .percentage_number { In his early years, he was not seen as a particularly influential legislator, and he was criticized by Texas Monthly magazine for his low impact. .leg-hnt-district-container { flex: 0 0 175px; Get highlights, trending news, and behind-the-scenes insights from Houston Public Media delivered to your inbox each week. Whitmire's first mayoral campaign finance report, filed Tuesday, shows $1.1 million in new donations in the nearly two months between his formal campaign launch in November and the end of the. border: 1px solid #aaa; (The Texan/Holly Hansen). Houston made national news this week following a water treatment facility equipment failure that forced the city to implement a boil water notice, keeping businesses and schools closed for two days. width: 35px !important; document.getElementById('leg-hnt-content64038e9c5b59e').classList.add('leg-hnt-hide'); .infobox { He was elected to the Texas Senate in 1982 after serving 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives. Yilun Cheng is a reporter for the Houston Chronicle, covering local politics and City Hall. color: white; Whitmire, who has previously criticized local leadership over public safety issues, highlighted city and county struggles to manage the criminal justice system. } Ballotpedia completes yearly updates of committee membership. padding-top: 8px; If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you. Whitmire said his campaign is motivated by his desire to solve a variety of problems that he has personally witnessed in Houston including homelessness, illegal dumping, rising crime and inefficient city services. City officials waited nearly eight hours to notify the public, and never activated the emergency alert system until the notice was lifted Tuesday morning. Earlier this year, Whitmire survived a primary challenge from emergency room nurse Molly Cook, who cast herself as a more progressive alternative to Whitmire. In 1392 John initiated a new partition of Bavaria since he refused to finance the Italian adventures of his brothers . . height: 100%; .votebox { I want you to tell Houstonians that help is on the way.. font-weight: bold; With 152,728 votes (65.2 percent), he defeated the Republican candidate, Randy Orr, who polled 75,423 (32.2 percent). State Sen. John Whitmire has set his sights on replacing Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner once Turner's term ends. padding: 2px 0; "I will be tough but smart on crime, keep our economy growing and ensure city services are working for all Houstonians. background-color: grey; if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; .succession-table th, .succession-table tr { apiKey: "96B21126-2E98-49FB-B21F-619C471959AD", font-weight: bold; Incumbents are bolded and underlined. .cfheader.democratic { My question is how long are we going to wait until they fix the schools in Northeast Houston? } [14][3], Whitmire won re-nomination to Senate District 15 in the Democratic primary election held on March 4, 2014. Earlier this year, William Paul-Thomas, a senior aide to Turner, pled guilty to federal public corruption charges and resigned. width: 100%; padding-bottom: 8px; (function() { The agency replied that last meal requests were accommodated "within reason" from food available in the prison kitchen, but it agreed to end the practice immediately at Whitmire's insistence. If nominated, Sen. John Whitmire will face the sole Republican . [3] Whitmer also came under criticism from watchdog groups and colleagues for hiring a friend as a consultant to the Criminal Justice Committee. .clearfix { Boosting Whitmires mayoral bid are a number of donors who helped bankroll the recent campaign of Republican Alexandra del Moral Mealer, who came within two percentage points of unseating Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in this months midterm election. .votebox-covid-disclaimer { } .race_header.republican { [8], Senator Whitmire passed legislation to free the Texans who were imprisoned as a result of the Tulia drug raid. .contact_office { margin-top: 0.3em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} linkColor: "#0b0080", [13], During the 1990s, Whitmer was the subject of several controversies related to potential conflicts of interest with clients and employers stemming from his position on the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. Known as a can do public servant, John often says, "Houston is not New York or Chicago we areHouston. He has nearly $10 million in his State Senate campaign account, and would easily be able to tap a long list of prospective donors he has strong relationships with to raise more. He also contributed $2,800 to Joe Bidens campaign in 2020. background-color: red; 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. If you'd like to sign up now, fill out the form below and we will add you as soon as we finish the transition. } General District Capitol. z-index:1; To see all bills sponsored by this person, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table. Contact our sales team. .widget-value { Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards and businessman Lee Kaplan are also running for Houston mayor. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida with a degree in History, and in addition to writing about politics and policy, also writes about faith and culture. .leg-hnt-toggle-text { In 1385 John II and his wife inherited a third of County of Gorizia with Lienz, but already in 1392 he sold his part to the Habsburgs. flex-direction: column; margin-top: 0px; Next week, they will likely be the former Board officers. $('.showResponses').show(); With all voting centers reporting, John Whitmire has won the Democratic primary for Texas Senate District 15 with 57.5% of the vote, or 24,724 votes. .widget-row.Green { In 2014, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session. In 2018, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session. background: #4c4c4c; Answer: Pro-choice. Whitmire ran unopposed in the May 29 primary election and defeated Bill Walker (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[6]. General District Capitol. 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Whitmire's quote was featured the following month on a segment on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver criticizing Texas for not air conditioning its prisons, exacerbating medical conditions and even causing the death of some prisoners. He has also reported on local politics for both papers. In response to the question "Should the federal government institute a mandatory buyback of assault weapons?", John Whitmire's response was. .widget-row.heading { Texas Senator John Whitmire announced he will be running for mayor in 2023, kicking off his campaign Wednesday. .electionsectionheading { .cftable th { color:white !important; .top_disclaimer { In 2022, the Texas State Legislature was not in session. border-bottom: 1px solid #aaa; display: inline-block; } Will the takeover be a sort of dictatorship? HOUSTON The race for Houston mayor is starting to heat up as Sylvester Turner's term limit ends next year. $626,696 Total Contributions. On October 26, 2010, Governing magazine named Whitmire and Texas Representative Jerry Madden as two of eight "Public Officials of the Year" for their work on reforming the Texas correctional system. 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. According to his latest campaign finance report, Whitmire leads the assembly of candidates for the most cash in his campaign bank account. box-sizing: border-box; font-size:1.2em; font-style: italic; rowCount: "25", [10], In 2021, Whitmire stirred controversy by responding to questions about the lack of air conditioning in prisons by saying: You know, we can talk about this all day, its not gonna change. In 2020, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development audit flagged Houstons slow pace in administering Hurricane Harvey recovery funds, prompting the. I am often asked why would I leave a state senate position to serve as mayor - simply because I care about Houston and its citizens who want to be safe to live, work, and raise their families in our great city. Since 1983, he has represented District 15, which includes much of northern Houston, Texas. 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.