Houston mayor race: UH poll shows Whitmire, Jackson Lee maintain commanding lead

Published October 10, 2023 12:00 PM CDT

Fresh polling in the race for Houston mayor indicates State Senator John Whitmire and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee remain well in front of the field and headed to a likely run-off.

Those numbers from the University of Houston Hobby School indicate Whitmire is attracting 34% and Jackson Lee pulling in 31% of likely voters with longtime Councilman Jack Christie and former Metro Chair Gilbert Garcia tied for third with 4% each.

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Left: State Senator John Whitmire (Photo by Sergio Flores/Bloomberg via Getty Images); Right: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

Attorney Lee Kaplan registered 2% in the Hobby School polling with businessman MJ Khan and Councilman Robert Gallegos drawing in 1% each.

With 22% of Houston voters still undecided, the UH poll indicates a substantial majority would lean toward Whitmire in a likely run-off.

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Meantime, in the race for city controller, former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins (29%) is leading former Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez (14%) and Councilman Dave Martin (8%) with nearly half of voters still unsure who they prefer.  

The November 7 election is 28 days away.

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