Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee faces tough reelection bid after mayoral loss

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — An unusually tight race is brewing for Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s seat after she lost her bid to become Houston’s mayor last year.

The campaign is among a few competitive House races in Texas for Tuesday’s primaries, including for Republican Rep. Kay Granger’s open seat.

Along the Texas-Mexico border, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales will face his first election since being sanctioned by his party and U.S. Rep Monica De La Cruz will fight to keep her highly competitive district.

Here are some congressional races to watch in Texas’ primaries:

AN INCUMBENT FACES A TOUGH CHALLENGE FROM WITHIN HER PARTY

Jackson Lee did not announce that she would seek reelection to her Houston district until December, after losing the mayor’s race. John Whitmire, a veteran Democratic state lawmaker, defeated her in an upset to become mayor of the nation’s fourth-largest city after Jackson Lee faced backlash over an unverified audio recording in which she purportedly berated staff members with a barrage of expletives.

She faces a challenge from former Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards, who had dropped out of the mayor’s race and decided to seek Jackson’ Lee’s seat when the longtime congresswoman announced her mayoral candidacy.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Democrats are targeting US Senate race in Texas as voters pick who will take on GOP’s Ted Cruz </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Bridges scores 32 points as No. 11