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What's on the ballot? - December 12, 2015
December 11, 2015
By Ballotpedia staff Follow @ballotpedia
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| Elections on December 12, 2015 |
| Texas |
What started as a 13-candidate field has been whittled down to just two candidates, and on December 12, voters in Houston, Texas, will decide whether Bill King or Sylvester Turner will be their next mayor. The runoff ballot also features elections for seven city council seats, including four at-large seats and Districts F, H and J.
King, an attorney and businessman, has emphasized the city budget, public safety and economic growth among his top priorities and campaign themes. On the contentious issue of public pensions, King's website states, "To be clear, Bill King does NOT support taking away pension benefits that have already been promised to, and earned by, city employees and their families. In Texas, a deal is a deal. At the same time, Bill King believes there is no pathway to financial stability for the City of Houston that does not lead through meaningful pension reform for new employees."[1]
Meanwhile, Turner, a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, has focused his campaign on economic opportunity, safety and education. He has also spoken about immigration reform, with his campaign website stating, "As a legislator, Sylvester has long supported the Texas DREAM Act and drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. He’s fought proposals that would have resulted in increased police harassment of Latinos based on their perceived immigration status. He will be proud to support DACA and DAPA as mayor."[2]
Turner finished the November 3 general election with 31.3 percent of the vote, and King placed second at 25.3 percent. Outgoing Mayor Annise Parker and third-place finisher Adrian Garcia backed Turner in the runoff, while fifth-place finisher former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell (D) endorsed King.[3][4][5] Turner and King each received approximately 38 percent of support in a poll conducted by News 88.7 and KHOU 11 this week.[6]
Note: Click on the links below for more details about each race and election results.
Texas
Municipal government
- See also: United States municipal elections, 2015
- Houston - Mayoral runoff between Bill King and Sylvester Turner, seven city council runoffs.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Bill King Campaign Website, "Back to Basics," accessed December 10, 2015
- ↑ Sylvester Turner Campaign Website, "Platform: Immigration Reform," accessed December 10, 2015
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Bell surprises with endorsement of King in mayor runoff," November 17, 2015
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Garcia Endorses Turner in Houston Mayoral Runoff," November 6, 2015
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Annise Parker endorses Sylvester Turner as her successor," December 3, 2015
- ↑ Houston Public Media, "News 88.7/KHOU 11 2015 Houston Runoff Election Poll," accessed December 10, 2015
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