Congressman Sylvester Turner dies weeks into first term

Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Tx., 70, died Tuesday night, under two months after taking office.

The circumstances of Turner’s death were not immediately clear Wednesday morning. He attended Trump’s address to Congress the prior evening.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. said in a released statement that the Democratic Caucus was shocked by the sudden death. Turner was a freshman member of Congress but had a long career in public service, Jeffries said.

Turner, a former law professor, immigration attorney, and state representative, won the general election in November of last year to fill the seat of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee D-Tx., who also died in office at age 74 last July. Lee died of cancer.

Lee’s daughter, Erica Lee Carter, ran in the special election to serve out the remainder of her mother’s term. But Carter did not run in the primary to represent the seat for 2025-2027, clearing the way for Turner.

Turner represented Texas first as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1989-2016. After that, he served briefly as the mayor of Houston from 2016-2024. Before that, he had founded his own law firm, Barnes & Turner, and specialized in immigration law.

What does that mean for the House of Representatives? Turner’s death compounds attendance struggles for Democrats who will have one less vote to oppose Republican-led bills. Because most bills can pass the House with a simple majority, every vote Democrats can’t count on means less pressure on Republicans to solidify party unity on divisive bills.

Democrats have struggled to keep all their members active for the first months of the 119th Congress, handing Republicans an unexpectedly wider margin amid a two-seat majority. Notably, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., has not cast a single vote since the formation of the new Congress on Jan. 3 due to health complications.

What happens now for Texas’ 18th Congressional District? Texas law stipulates that Texas Governor Greg Abbot must order a special election to fill the seat. Once ordered, a special election must take place 36 days later unless interrupted by an emergency. In that case, the election must take place between 36-64 days from the order.

Democrats will likely retain control of Turner’s seat. He won in the November general election by a 38% margin over Republican challenger Lana Centonze.

Dig deeper: Read my reporting on why every seat in the House of Representatives matters as the GOP looks to implement President Trump’s agenda.