Kathy Lee Tatum

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Kathy Lee Tatum

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 7, 2023

Contact

Campaign Instagram

Kathy Lee Tatum ran for election for Mayor of Houston in Texas. She lost in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Tatum completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Kathy Lee Tatum's career experience includes being a licensed real estate agent and life coach, and working in victim services and property management.

Elections

2023

See also: Mayoral election in Houston, Texas (2023)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Mayor of Houston

John Whitmire defeated Sheila Jackson Lee in the general runoff election for Mayor of Houston on December 9, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Whitmire (Nonpartisan)	64.4	129,809
		Sheila Jackson Lee (Nonpartisan)	35.6	71,719

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 201,528
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Mayor of Houston

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Houston on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Whitmire (Nonpartisan)	42.5	107,411
✔		Sheila Jackson Lee (Nonpartisan)	35.6	90,098
	Submit photo	Gilbert Garcia (Nonpartisan)	7.2	18,220
		Jack Christie (Nonpartisan)	6.9	17,364
		Lee Kaplan (Nonpartisan)	2.6	6,645
		Robert Gallegos (Nonpartisan)	1.1	2,680
	Submit photo	M.J. Khan (Nonpartisan)	1.0	2,478
		Annie Garcia (Nonpartisan)	0.8	1,972
		Julian Martinez (Nonpartisan)	0.7	1,813
		Roy Vasquez (Nonpartisan)	0.4	1,083
		M. Griffin (Nonpartisan)	0.3	674
		Kathy Lee Tatum (Nonpartisan)	0.2	532
	Submit photo	David Lowy (Nonpartisan)	0.1	368
	Submit photo	Chanel Mbala (Nonpartisan)	0.1	356
		Naoufal Houjami (Nonpartisan)	0.1	352
		Gaylon Caldwell (Nonpartisan)	0.1	331
	Submit photo	B. Ivy (Nonpartisan)	0.1	287
		Robin Williams (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	0.0	101

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 252,765
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Tatum in this election.

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kathy Lee Tatum completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tatum's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Founder Nonprofit Collaborating Voices Foundation

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Our Underserved Communities Look the Same Because We Keep Voting the Same Officials in with Fake Promises of Resources and Federal Funding Reaching out Communities
• BIPOC LEAD businesses and Nonprofits are used to bring in Millions to Same Nonprofits than we have beg to receive the funding
• If we don't put new eyes on budgets and Benefits the Back room Contracts will continue and won't add up to the Press Releases information

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Domestic Violence Survivors

Human Trafficking Survivors
Veterans Services
ReEntry Programs
Nonprofit funding
No Kill Animal Shelters

Mental Health Wellness Centers

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Stop lying about where the federal and city money goes. Be honest that the non-profits money that you give them to are family and friends

Truly train on designations and certifications on businesses and non-profits. So when the paperwork comes out for bids everybody has a chance to understand how to win the bids

Stop doing the same thing over and over with the same organizations and have integrity to open it up for new solutions. Not who paid you on your campaign and kiss your ass

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I cannot be bought. I worked to get so many politicians in the office but you cannot buy me to turn my back on the community

I believe Houston is number one in human trafficking due to the connections of politicians

I stand up to other politicians that I feel is damaging or communities

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The city of Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the world, but it's also has a lot of segregation of resources is very important that the relationship with city councilors they get what they need on the agenda and the funding to serve their districts without approval of the Mayor

Know what the city workers are doing. The domestic workers are doing and respect what they should be making on salaries and benefits

When going out to the community there needs to be more community speaking and not having so many officials take the mic to pet themselves on the back that there's not enough time to actually talk back and forth. No one should just have to come to City Hall to actually hear their needs

What legacy would you like to leave?

That that my life started from a mother that was 13 came back in my life when she became adult but she abused me. She shot me stab me broke bones burned me with cigarettes. I could been bitter but instead I took that trauma and helped so many others in our communities. We are not our circumstances. We can wake up each day and make a difference and help someone else for resources

I have helped forms over 313 -501c3s and they go out to the community impact across the nation and across the world

What is your favorite book? Why?

Nancy Drew
Because I am nosy and I want to get to the bottom of what people are not saying and what are their hiding. Transparency is very important to me and it can be very important to our community

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Storm
Because it's HOT OUT HERE AND WE NEED SOME COLD AIR

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Practically have a disability. I have arthritis. There's times that I've been in a wheelchair but I've had to start all over on learning how to walk again. Both my heads are replaced several titaniums only in my back and legs but this also brings a light of all the non sidewalks and the disrespect people with disabilities

What do you love most about your city?

Nonprofits that show up everyday without Funding because of their heart for the Community

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Debt

Benefits for City Workers
Fire Department Compensation
Sidewalks
Property Taxes
Corruption
Affordable Housing
Veterans Services

Real Homeless Data

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the state government?

Every party at the table on Projects and Audits

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the mayor's office and law enforcement?

The mayor must do ride alongs must not just read a report or watch the news but actually there on calls so he can understand how long it takes for the old system to do reports and what the community is saying about how they're being arrested and the treatment in our jails

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2023 Elections

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Mayor of Houston

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