Former Houston mayor and current U.S. Congressman Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) died suddenly Wednesday morning at age 70, his family announced. Turner served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives for almost 30 years before becoming Houston’s mayor from 2016 to 2024.

HOUSTON - Congressman Sylvester Turner has passed away at the age of 70. Rep. Turner was elected to Texas' 18th Congressional District in November. Per the U.S. Constitution, House vacancies are only filled via special elections. Texas Governor Greg Abbott will call a special election to fill Turner's seat.

Here's what we know about how Turner's Congressional seat will be filled. Gov. Greg Abbott will have to call for the election and set a date.

Turner's death raised immediate questions about the future of the 18th Congressional District in Houston, long a Democratic stronghold.

Shortly after the news broke Wednesday morning of former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s death, speculation began about a special election for his U.S. Congressional seat — a post he’d held for just two months.

Then-Houston mayor Sylvester Turner describes his bout with cancer in an interview at City Hall in Houston on Nov. 15, 2022. (Annie Mulligan for) U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, a former Houston mayor, state legislator and institution in Houston Democratic politics,

Turner, who passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 70, had a long and distinguished career in public office, including eight years as mayor of Houston.