Democrats pick former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner for late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's seat

Harris County Democrats picked former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to be the Democratic candidate running to replace the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, in a strongly blue district.

A committee comprised of 88 party officials in the 18th district voted on Tuesday night at a meeting and selected Turner, who received 41 votes compared to 37 for former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards.

Jackson Lee, who defeated Edwards in the Democratic primary in March, passed away last month from pancreatic cancer.

Turner will face off against Republican Lana Centonze in the November 5 general election which is separate from the special election. Jackson Lee’s daughter, Erica Lee Carter, announced on Monday that she is going to run in the special election to finish her mother's term.