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Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) died late Tuesday after serving just two months and a day in Congress, party officials said Wednesday. He was 70.
Turner’s death was confirmed by his successor as mayor of Houston, John Whitmire, and former Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison
“I’m devastated to hear about the death of my close friend Congressman and former Mayor @SylvesterTurner!” Harrison expressed on X. “We connected while working together during the DNC Convention Site selection process in 2018. A forward-thinking leader and supporter… I will deeply feel the absence of my friend, as will the many in his cherished Houston, TX. My sincere sympathy goes out to his loved ones and friends. May he find peace in his eternal rest!”
Turner, who was elected in 2024 to replace longtime Houston-area Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee following her death while in office, had attended President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress the night of his passing.
“My message to the current administration for tonight’s State of the Union: ‘Don’t mess with Medicaid,’” Turner wrote in one of his last posts. “I am proud to have Angela Hernandez here from our Congressional district as my guest. She is representing and advocating for her daughter Baislee Garcia who has a rare genetic disorder Chromosome 8p: Inversion/Duplication/Deletion.
“Let me be clear: any cuts to Medicaid are a direct attack on families like Angela’s. 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.”
Turner’s death means the House of Representatives now has 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats, with three vacancies. Special elections will be held April 1 to fill two vacancies in Republican-leaning Florida districts.