} John Harris Whitmire (born August 13, 1949)[1] is an American attorney and politician who is the longest-serving current member of the Texas State Senate. [14][3], Whitmire won re-nomination to Senate District 15 in the Democratic primary election held on March 4, 2014. One of those senators is John Whitmire, a Democrat from Houston, and the longest-serving member of the Democratic caucus. It is Ballotpedias goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number. font-size: 0.9em; See the content from The Texans 88th Session Kickoff! } $('.hideResponses').on('click', () => { } "I'm John Whitmire, a public servant, and I go where I'm called. } flex-wrap: wrap; He also contributed $2,800 to Joe Bidens campaign in 2020. Contributions maintained by the Whitmire Campaign at the end of the year total $10,100,086.
text-align:center; } } fontFamily: "Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif", border-radius: 50%; Prior to his election to the state senate, Whitmire was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1973 to 1982.[1]. And early indications are that several of them are raising a lot of money.. Whitmire, a Democrat, has represented Houston in the Legislature since 1973, first as a state representative and then in the Senate beginning in 1983. But how the mighty have fallen", "Democratic primary election returns, March 4, 2014 (Senate District 15)", "1992 Democratic Party Primary Runoff Election", Project Vote Smart - Senator John Whitmire (TX), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Whitmire&oldid=1136508454, This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 17:48. Meet John. Whitmire already has huge support from some very important figures, including former Houston PoliceChief Art Acevedo and Houston billionaire and philanthropist Tilman Fertitta. }) How to vote | In 2019, the Texas State Legislature was in its 86th legislative session from January 8 through May 27. The billionaire also faulted Mayor Sylvester Turner for not taking a stronger stance to represent the citys interest. background-color: grey; U.S. Congress | } If John Whitmire is our mayor, that wouldnt have happened.. John Whitmire's policy on Gun Buyback - isidewith.com .hideResponses { display: none;} .infobox p { Houston attorney weighs in on customer shooting, killing taqueria robber. } I love Houston, as so many of you do. }) tBackground: "#CCCCCC", He noted some courtrooms were still closed despite nearly 2,000 murder suspects awaiting trial and more than 900 suspects out on bond for murder or capital murder. font-size: 20px; There will be an anti-takeover event this afternoon at Discovery Green. margin: 0; John Whitmire will focus on better streets, improved drainage and reliable garbage pickup.. The results have been certified. background-color: green; Campaign. [13], During the 1990s, Whitmer was the subject of several controversies related to potential conflicts of interest with clients and employers stemming from his position on the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. font-weight: bold; Capitol Webmail . The police chief had made a gentleman's agreement with John Whitmire, dean of the Texas Senate, not to run against him, should the Houston lawmaker seek the mayor's office, as has been speculated. Kathy Whitmire's exposure to and interest in city politics began in her parents' home. During his remarks, Whitmire said he faced opposition from those who like the status quo.. } The general election was held on November 4, 2014. A native of San Francisco, he graduated from Northwestern University in 2017 with degrees in journalism and political science, and has interned for the Tampa Bay Times, Washington Post and Fortune magazine. A special session was held from July 18 to August 15. Houston made national news this week following a water treatment facility equipment failure that forced the city to implement a boil water notice, keeping businesses and schools closed for two days. font-style: italic; If nominated, Sen. John Whitmire will face the sole Republican . legislatorID: 1521, The event comes roughly a year after Whitmire told supporters at a campaign rally that he planned to run for mayor. width: 50%;border-bottom: 1px solid #aaa; (function() { } }
} background-color: #ccf; He has nearly $10 million in his State Senate campaign account, and would easily be able to tap a long list of prospective donors he has strong relationships with to raise more. .inner_percentage, .inner_percentage.Nonpartisan, .inner_percentage.Independent, .inner_percentage.Constitution, .inner_percentage.unknown { Updated margin-bottom:0px; } The Return of "Quitmire": Democratic Sen. John Whitmire Again Helps GOP Secretary of State John H. Merrill Responds to Kyle Whitmire of AL.com Incumbent John Whitmire defeated Damian Lacroix and Hank Segelke in the Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 15 on March 6, 2018. .cftable th { border-top: 1px solid #aaa; }) Tags Alan Rosen american red cross donations Harris County Precinct 1 Constables Office houston rockets Hurricane Ian hurricane relief Tilman Fertitta. This campaign finance report was filed by state Senator John Whitmire back on October 31, 2022, and shows state Senator John Whitmire with $9,503,981.46 in contributions in his campaign coffers . State Sen. John Whitmire announces he will run for mayor of Houston in 2023 Im not going to get into squabbles with other elected officials about what the numbers are, but the bottom line is we have a crime issue in Houston, Harris County, said Whitmire. [3], Whitmire won reelection to the state Senate in the general election held on November 6, 2018. } list-style-type: circle; His current term ends on January 14, 2025. Houstonians, who would you like in the middle of the night to call the governors office for whatever you need? asked Whitmire. The two candidates participated in a virtual discussion on Tuesday night where Whitmire touted his seniority and experience while Cook billed herself as a more progressive grassroots alternative. Counties | display: block; Fertitta previously attracted attention for contributing more than $100,000 to Donald Trumps re-election bid. Will the takeover be a sort of dictatorship? Texas Sen. John Whitmire District 15 ( D -Houston) Editor's note: The Tribune's directory is updated with Texas' new elected officials, who took office in January 2023 in recently redrawn. Whitmire said his campaign is motivated by his desire to solve a variety of problems that he has personally witnessed in Houston including homelessness, illegal dumping, rising crime and inefficient city services. font-weight: 200; font-size: .9em; margin-bottom: 0; .votebox { .leg-hnt-border-top { Should the firefighters prevail, the city may owe back wages topping $1 billion according to some estimates. Whitmire, the longest-serving member of the Texas Senate, already has $9.5 million in his state campaign account, according to his most recent filing. I believe using my experience and commitment to public service we will make Houston even better. z-index:1; $('.pastResponses').hide(); top: -5px;
Last year, Whitmire voted for a GOP-backed bail bill that limits the opportunity for defendants to be released on no-cost personal bonds and gives judges more information about a defendants criminal history when setting bail. margin: 3px 0; margin-bottom: -2px !important; [6] He ran unopposed in the primary. Office: State Senate (TX) - District 15, Democratic Track This Politician. | Kathy Whitmire - Wikipedia [6] Whitmire captured the Senate District 15 seat, taking office in 1983. For Dean of Senate, Public and Private Blur | The Texas Tribune color: white; height: 50px; } } background-color: #ccc; } We are not New York or Chicago. Join others and make your gift to Houston Public Media today. .image-candidate-thumbnail-wrapper .image-candidate-thumbnail { Disclosure: Unlike almost every other media outlet, The Texan is not beholden to any special interests, does not apply for any type of state or federal funding, and relies exclusively on its readers for financial support. With all voting centers reporting, John Whitmire has won the Democratic primary for Texas Senate District 15 with 57.5% of the vote, or 24,724 votes. .cfheader.democratic { Do you value our journalism? John Whitmire for Mayor. Cook is the sole Democratic opponent for state Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston), incumbent for the safe blue Houston seat. After she married, her husband's brother, John Whitmire, already a rising star in the Texas Democratic Party, was a willing political mentor. His current term ends on January 14, 2025. }); What's on my ballot? He noted some courtrooms were still closed despite nearly 2,000 murder suspects awaiting trial and more than 900 suspects out on bond for murder or capital murder.} [3] Whitmer also came under criticism from watchdog groups and colleagues for hiring a friend as a consultant to the Criminal Justice Committee. John W. Whitmire August 22, 1944-September 15, 2021 COLONA-John W. Whitmire, 77, of Colona passed away September 15, 2021 at Hartland Healthcare Center in Moline and is now in the loving arms of h Kaplan raised $800,000 and pitched in another $100,000 of his own money. width: 100% The longest-serving member of the Texas Senate, Democrat John Whitmire is the first of the now four candidates to announce his run for mayor. Sen. John Whitmire kicks off campaign for Houston mayor $('.hideResponses').show(); .inner_percentage { During that election cycle, Whitmire raised a total of $613,615. Overview; . [3], In 1993, weeks after passing a bill benefitting the Houston Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund, Whitmer was hired by the Fund as a Washington, D.C. lobbyist. RELATED: Houston mayoral contenders rake in millions in campaign cash, setting new bar for early fundraising. This is what the Whitmire Campaign for Mayor put out yesterday: John Whitmire Receives Endorsement. a[aria-expanded=false] .fa-chevron-down { display: none; } Public policy. width: 100% !important; flex: 0 0 175px; padding-bottom: 5px; font-weight: bold; There are people who like the status quo. Whitmire's first mayoral campaign finance report, filed Tuesday, shows $1.1 million in new donations between his formal campaign launch in November and the end of the year. "[11],
Yilun Cheng is a reporter for the Houston Chronicle, covering local politics and City Hall. He is the Dean. Groogan: No one knows more about criminal justice, in my opinion, than you. } The atmosphere was more victory . Answer: Pro-choice. } padding: 2px; } display: inline-block; During that election cycle, Whitmire raised a total of $1,137,788. Campaign Webmail. height: 56px; .mw-body #mw-content-text th.votebox-results-cell--text { text-align: center; width: 100%; As a former state representative, Turner was permitted to transfer the first $5,000 per donation in his state account to his mayoral campaign, but the total impact for Whitmire has yet to be determined. In his early years, he was not seen as a particularly influential legislator, and he was criticized by Texas Monthly magazine for his low impact. paid for by the John Whitmire Campaign. .race_footer { letter-spacing: .04em; .inner_percentage.Democratic { Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update. National Federation of Independent Business in Texas, Texas Tribune Guest Column: Mark P. Jones, John Buntin, "The Correctionists," October 2010, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=John_Whitmire&oldid=8769085, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. margin: 5px auto; During that election cycle, Whitmire raised a total of $481,540. .race_header.green { Prior to that, he served 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives. background-color: #db0000; Houston police are asking a bystander who shot a man 9 times and killed him while he was in the act of robbing people inside a Houston restaurant to come forward for questioning. [8], Senator Whitmire passed legislation to free the Texans who were imprisoned as a result of the Tulia drug raid. He defeated his intraparty challenger, Damian LaCroix, 9,756 (75.1 percent) to 3,232 votes (24.9 percent). document.getElementById('leg-hnt-toggle64038e9c5b59e').addEventListener('click', event => { A free bi-weekly commentary on current events by Konni Burton. Whitmire said he is expecting resistance from people who do not want to see the changes that he is advocating for, including a more transparent government than how the city is currently operating. John Whitmire - Ballotpedia padding-bottom: 7px; John Whitmire is Candidate for State Senate, 15th District, 2022 Primary Election in Texas (TX). width: 500, In the Senate, Whitmire is best known for his work on criminal justice issues, having long served as chair of the Criminal Justice Committee, even under Republican leadership. According to his latest campaign finance report, Whitmire leads the assembly of candidates for the most cash in his campaign bank account. During that election cycle, Whitmire raised a total of $1,932,588. padding-bottom: 3px; } } } display: none; In 2020, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development audit flagged Houstons slow pace in administering Hurricane Harvey recovery funds, prompting the federal agency to shift control of the recovery and rebuild efforts to the Texas General Land Office. Whitmire and his wife, Becki, have two children: Whitney and Sarah. } Elections for 15 of the 31 seats in the Texas State Senate took place in 2014. John Whitmire | Candidate for State Senate, 15th District - Crowdpac