Ballotpedia completes yearly updates of committee membership.

} } .survey-result {padding:10px;} flex: 0 0 150px; Vote: John Whitmire voted . But during the third special session, Patrick would often call instead on state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, the body's second-longest serving member, and refer to her as the "dean-in-waiting.". [6] Whitmire captured the Senate District 15 seat, taking office 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. 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's notable work on the Senate includes efforts to improve public safety and criminal justice. mail Email. width: 50%; $('.hideResponses').on('click', () => { background-color: #f9f9f9; John Whitmire ( Democratic Party) is a member of the Texas State Senate, representing District 15. margin-right: 12px; A free bi-weekly commentary on current events by Konni Burton. He did not graduate, as state law at the time allowed legislators entrance to the bar without a full J.D. 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. padding-bottom: 0px; }, .leg-hnt-container { $('.showResponses').on('click', () => { When Harvey happened and the state got billions and billions of dollars, Houston didnt get any money for years. $8,368,554 Total Expenditures. Houston police are asking a bystander who shot a man 9 times and killed him while he was in the act of robbing people inside a Houston restaurant to come forward for questioning. She received about 42 percent of the vote, giving the longtime Democrat his narrowest win since the early 1990s. 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. Senator John Whitmire represents the 15th Senatorial District comprised of north Houston and parts of Harris County. color: #888; His tenure earns him the title of Dean of the Senate. .non_result_row div { overflow-x: scroll; .race_header, .results_text, .results_table_container, .votebox_legend { .widget-row.Green { Whitmires criminal justice stances are expected to bolster his position among Republican voters and donors, including those who supported Mealer in a county judge race that focused heavily on violent crime rates in Harris County. 1255 - City becomes ducal residence of Upper Bavaria. .race_footer { .cfheader.republican { .leg-hnt-flex-item { float: right; linkColor: "#0b0080",

   background-color: #003388; State legislature |          border:1px solid #FFB81F; Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete.   Dan Patrick often alluded to Whitmire's possible run during this year's special legislative sessions. He is a longtime ally of Houston and Harris Countys police union groups, which also are on the host committee for his kickoff fundraiser. 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. 		padding-top: 5px; Besides supporting law enforcement officers, he said he would also take a holistic approach to improving the criminal justice system including offering more resources to the court system and the crime lab.  	vertical-align: top;  Adv. [11] Heat has killed numerous prisoners and cost Texas taxpayers million of dollars in wrongful death suits brought by victims' families. Will the takeover be a sort of dictatorship? 

.cfheader {

font-size:1.2em; 	} $('#candidate-connection-email-104978').on('click', () => { ga('send', 'event', 'surveycta', 'surveycta-click-email'); }); 	} They know if Im mayor, its going to be very transparent, honest and play no favors, he said. His old friends call him something else: "Boogie," a. Contact our sales team. [3] Whitmire remains the chair as of the Eighty-seventh Texas Legislature. [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. Federal courts | 				overflow-y: hidden;   } [3], Whitmire served in the Texas House with colleagues Gene Green, Craig Washington and Mickey Leland and eventually finished his undergraduate degree. Meet John; Conoce a John; Contact Us; GET IN TOUCH. His current term ends on January 14, 2025. Whitmire is the longest-serving member of the Texas Senate. .cfheader.green {  Mealer donors serving on the host committee for Tuesdays fundraiser include Fertitta, Gallery Furniture owner Jim Mattress Mack McIngvale, real estate developer Richard Weekley, Fidelis Realty Partners CEO Alan Hassenflu and Houston beer distributor John Nau, among others. I can tell you this, if John Whitmire is our mayor, that wouldnt have happened.. The longest-serving member of the Texas Senate, Democrat State Sen. John Whitmire (Houston), announced that he is running for mayor of the City of Houston in 2023 while at a campaign event for his re-election to the Senate on Wednesday. }  list-style-type: circle; The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. 		margin: 0;  John Whitmire.  	font-weight: bold; 

} Updated .results_table { Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. .expand-all:hover, .collapse-all:hover {cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;} The event comes roughly a year after Whitmire told supporters at a campaign rally that he planned to run for mayor. Holly Hansen is a regional reporter for The Texan living in Harris County. Campaign. color: black; Interns wanted: Get paid to help ensure that every voter has unbiased election information. Takeover Look. Contact Information. width: 100%; margin-top: 5px; General District Capitol. paid for by the John Whitmire Campaign. The. Previously he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1973 through 1982. During his remarks, Whitmire said he faced opposition from those who like the status quo.. Gilberto Velasquez, Jr. was running as a Libertarian candidate. 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. With almost a year to go until next years Nov. 7 election, Whitmire outlined his platform and kickstarted his campaign at Tuesdays fundraiser. "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. Explore his positions, donors, and political history. CONTACT. width: 100%; (function() { . There will be an anti-takeover event this afternoon at Discovery Green. font-weight: bold; Source1Source2. Meet John. Whitmire ( Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Texas State Senate to represent District 15. General District Capitol. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. This campaign finance report was filed by state Senator John Whitmire back on October 31, 2022, and shows state Senator John Whitmire with $9,503,981.46 in contributions in his campaign coffers . 100% remote. John looks at things the right way and isnt partisan when it comes to doing the right thing.. Elections in 2023 | He is running for re-election this year and said he plans to run for mayor of Houston in 2023. From 1375 to 1392 John ruled in Bavaria-Landshut with his brothers Stephen III and Frederick. } Whitmire won re-election to the Texas State Senate in 2012. The Fund allowed the contract to expire following public scrutiny. } Its rattlesnake season in Texas. 1239 - Coat of arms of Munich in use. What will be their political backgrounds? margin-top: 16px; .cftable th { font-weight: bold; break-inside: avoid-column; At the Capitol, Whitmire is the dean of the Senate where he took office in 1983 the title reserved for its longest-serving member. that forced the city to implement a boil water notice, keeping businesses and schools closed for two days. width: 57%; } max-height: 580px; 2005-2022 Community Impact Newspaper Co. All rights reserved. $('.hideResponses').show(); .votebox_legend .non_result_row { In 2021, the Texas State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 31. State Sen. John Whitmire on Wednesday was leading in the . font-style: italic; .widget-row.value-only.black { He defeated his intraparty challenger, Damian LaCroix, 9,756 (75.1 percent) to 3,232 votes (24.9 percent). They were later pardoned by the Governor. font-size: .9em; p.survey-question {font-weight:bold;} .leg-hnt-leadership-title { "I'm . Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. Whitmire, the longest-tenured member of the Texas Senate, has joined a Houston mayoral race that includes Amanda K. Edwards, Chris Hollins and Lee Kaplan. break-inside: avoid-column; Thirty minutes after the regular session ended, Governor Rick Perry called legislators back for a special session starting that evening. Though his record generally aligns with those of his Democratic colleagues on other issues, Whitmire has broken with his party on a number of votes related to criminal justice. background-color: #f9f9f9; With 152,728 votes (65.2 percent), he defeated the Republican candidate, Randy Orr, who polled 75,423 (32.2 percent). Should the firefighters prevail, the city may owe back wages topping $1 billion according to some estimates. [6] He ran unopposed in the primary. color:white !important; width: 35px !important; text-align: center; Known as a can do public servant, John often says, "Houston is not New York or Chicago we areHouston. div.survey-scrollbox { height:400px; overflow:scroll; margin:20px; padding:10px; border:1px solid gray; } Tags Alan Rosen american red cross donations Harris County Precinct 1 Constables Office houston rockets Hurricane Ian hurricane relief Tilman Fertitta. } margin-bottom: 0; color: white; } The measure died after nearly every Democrat in the House voted against it, denying the two-thirds support needed to pass. [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 addition to a fundraising advantage, Whitmire although a staunch Democrat appears to be drawing support from both sides of the political aisle. Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards and businessman Lee Kaplan are also running for Houston mayor. As the long-time chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, Whitmire said he would bring an understanding of the criminal justice system, work to provide more resources to the courts and forensic crime lab, and improve collaboration between the multiple law enforcement agencies in the region. Here is what State Rep. Jarvis Johnson put out this morning: Lets be clear: state takeovers have never worked anywhere much less for a district as large and diverse as Houston. 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.