Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a mainstay of the Democratic Party’s far-left flank since she was first elected to Congress almost 30 years ago, died Friday at the age of 74.
According to NBC News, Jackson Lee had been battling pancreatic cancer, but an exact cause of death was not stated. She announced her cancer diagnosis in June and was undergoing treatment.
“Today, with incredible grief for our loss yet deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of United States Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18th Congressional District of Texas,” her family said in a statement.
Jackson Lee leaves behind a husband and two adult children, Fox News noted.
“A local, national, and international humanitarian, she was acknowledged worldwide for her courageous fights for racial justice, criminal justice, and human rights, with a special emphasis on women and children,” the family’s statement said.
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— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) July 20, 2024
“Her legislative victories impacted millions, from establishing the Juneteenth Federal holiday to reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act,” the statement continued.
“However, she impacted us most as our beloved wife, sister, mother, and Bebe (grandmother).
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“She will be dearly missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire all who believe in freedom, justice and democracy.”
Jackson Lee got her undergraduate degree from Yale and her law degree from the University of Virginia, according to her House biography. She held a position at the University of Houston before becoming an associate municipal judge in Houston.
From there, she was elected to an at-large seat on the Houston City Council before defeating incumbent Rep. Craig Washington in a 1994 Democratic primary. Given the deep blue nature of the district, the Democratic nomination was tantamount to election and she never faced serious electoral opposition for her seat.
Lee was one of the furthest-left members of the House of Representatives by voting record, according to GovTrack.US.
Personal (and personnel) issues dogged her throughout her career — ultimately leading to a surprise landslide defeat in a bid to become Houston’s mayor in 2023.
As early as the late 1990s, rumors began circulating that Jackson Lee was a difficult lawmaker to deal with.
One of the first reports of Jackson Lee’s problematic behavior came from the alternative weekly Houston Press, which described how Lee’s former Capitol office executive assistant and events scheduler said her “abrasive ways not only drove off staff members but irritated Continental Airlines staffers to the point where one suggested she fly on a competitor instead.”
“You don’t understand. I am a queen, and I demand to be treated like a queen,” the former staffer alleged Lee said during one rant.
Turnover in Lee’s office was frequent and reports were rife that former staffers warned prospective employees not to work with the Texas congresswoman.
Furthermore, in 2002, the conservative Weekly Standard alleged that Jackson Lee had broken House ethics rules regarding certain perks and offered more details of the alleged Continental Airlines confrontation:
“On a flight home to Houston, Jackson Lee became enraged when flight attendants failed to produce the seafood special she liked,” the publication reported. “‘Don’t you know who I am?’ she reportedly thundered. ‘I’m Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Where is my seafood meal? I know it was ordered!’”
While these might seem like minor incidents, they came to a head as Jackson Lee sought to become the mayor of Houston.
Entering the 2023 race as a serious contender, her chances disintegrated in the final few weeks of the race as audio emerged of Jackson Lee verbally berating staffers, leaked to the Texas Tribune, a liberal online news site.
In one recording, she told a staffer he didn’t have a “f***in’ brain” and declared “nobody knows a G****mned thing in my office – nothing!” She referred to another staffer as a “fat-a** stupid idiot” and said both were “f***-ups.”
“It’s the worst s*** that I could have ever had put together,” Jackson Lee said. “Two g****mned big-a** children, f***in’ idiots who serve no g****mned purpose.”
While her staff didn’t acknowledge the veracity of the recording, Jackson Lee’s apology seemed to make it clear it was her on the audio.
“I want to convey to the people of Houston that I strongly believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and that includes my own staff,” Jackson Lee said in a statement, according to an October 2023 report by KTRK-TV in Houston.
“I know that I am not perfect. I recognize that in my zeal to do everything possible to deliver for my constituents I have in the past fallen short of my own standards and there is no excuse for that.”
She would lose handily to John Whitmire in the nonpartisan runoff election, 64.4 percent to 35.6 percent, according to Ballotpedia.
In addition to the mayoral loss, Jackson Lee faced her first serious primary opposition in many years in this March’s Democratic primary for her congressional district, ceding over 37 percent of the vote to challenger Amanda Edwards.
Whitmire, who beat Jackson Lee in the Houston mayoral race, said in a statement that his late rival was “a dedicated public servant and a champion for her constituents,” according to The New York Times.
Funeral arrangements are pending, the family’s statement said.
