Around 8:30 Tuesday evening, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner took to social media to lambaste President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to Medicaid. Within hours of posting that final statement on X, the politician with decades of public service died. He was 70.
Congressman Turner, who was in Washington, D.C. for the State of the Union address, posted the following about Angela Hernandez, a Houston mother of a 2-year-old daughter who has a rare genetic disorder. Hernandez relies on Medicaid to pay for her daughter’s treatment.
“Let me be clear: any cuts to Medicaid are a direct attack on families like Angela Hernandez’s family,” Turner wrote. “President Trump and Elon Musk’s push to gut Medicaid is nothing short of a betrayal of the most vulnerable among us. They are playing politics with children’s lives, and I will not stand for it. #SOTU.”
Turner, who served as Houston mayor from 2016 to 2024, was two months into his first term representing Texas’ 18th Congressional District. He previously served for 27 years in the Texas House of Representatives. The politician announced in 2022 that he had been secretly battling bone cancer but was cancer-free.
The former mayor was elected to the U.S. Congress last year, replacing longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died at age 74, just six weeks after revealing her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Now, Gov, Abbott will call a special election to fill the vacant seat. Wednesday he ordered that flags be lowered to half staff and remain there until sunrise on Saturday, “Texas lost a longtime leader and dedicated public servant with the death of Congressman Sylvester Turner,” Abbott wrote.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced the news to the City Council on Wednesday morning, saying that Turner was a personal friend and adviser who never forgot where he came from. He referenced the long years the two worked together n the Texas Legislature, noting that the two didn’t always agree — something that has been evident since Whitmire succeeded Turner as mayor, often criticizing the prior administration for what he sees as shortcomings. In the race for mayor Turner had supported Lee instead of Whitmire.
Still on Wednesday, Whitmire was full of praise for Turner. “He was a public servant right up until he took his last breath,” Whitmire said.
Houston City Council members also took to social media during a regularly-scheduled meeting Wednesday to express their condolences. Several noted his leadership during times of crisis for the city of Houston.
“Congressman and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was a servant leader whose heart and passion for public service spanned decades,” wrote District I Councilman Joaquin Martinez. “As Houston’s 62nd mayor, he helped our city navigate through natural disasters, damaging storms, economic downturns and a pandemic.”
A statement from Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee included:
“He epitomized remaining calm under pressure, guiding our city through natural disasters and crises with steady leadership. He worked tirelessly to serve every community, ensuring that those too often overlooked had a voice. He stood firm in his convictions, regardless of whether they were popular, because he understood that true leadership isn’t about convenience—it’s about doing what’s right.
“I saw his relentless advocacy firsthand. As Mayor of Houston, he brought the EPA Administrator to Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens to see firsthand the impact of contamination in historically Black neighborhoods. He proudly and publicly fought against the Texas Legislature’s passing of Senate Bill 1, one of the most restrictive voting laws in the country. He never backed down from the powerful—whether they sat in the White House, the governor’s mansion, or a corporate boardroom. Because for him, public service wasn’t about accolades. It was about standing up for others.”
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis had this to say:
“My sincere condolences to Ashley and the Turner family. Houston mourns the loss of our servant leader, proud native son, dedicated father and dear friend.
Thank you, Sylvester Turner for all you gave of yourself to serve Houston, Texas, and this nation. We the People are all better off because you chose to dedicate yourself to a life of public service. You also advanced the continuous struggle to make this nation as good as its promise of freedom and justice for all.”
Nancy Sims, a University of Houston political science lecturer, got emotional when talking about Turner’s passing. He was a “true servant leader,” she said.“It’s a great loss,” she said. “I saw the tweet [about Medicaid] and you know, humorously, irreverently, I’m saying Trump killed him. I’ve got to find the humor in it, right?”
Sims met Turner back in the 1980s and said he really loved working with and for the people of Houston. He rode in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo parade on Saturday.
“He was a very people-oriented mayor,” Sims said. “He would really take care of constituents. That was true as state rep all the way to there he was on X last night with a constituent worried about losing Medicaid. That was just representative of his whole career.”
State law doesn’t mandate a deadline for calling the election to fill Turner’s seat. Sims said the Republican governor may be strategic in doing so because the 18th Congressional District is a “100 percent Democratic seat.
“It thrusts our congressional seat into the national political football game,” she said. “In New York there’s a Republican seat open and the governor is dragging her feet on calling a special election. I think you may see the same thing here. There’s a one-vote majority in the U.S. House. I think the poor 18th Congressional District that’s lost two members of Congress in less than a year will find itself thrust into the midst of national politics.”
This story is developing and we’ll be adding to it as more information becomes available.
