President Joe Biden Drops Out; Governor Greg Abbott, Businessman Eric Carr, Other Texans Remember Congresswoman Lee
AUBREY R. TAYLOR REPORTS©
I’m going to do my part to use my influence to lower the temperature in American politics between today and Tuesday, November 5, 2024, as we seek to press forward as a more unified people united by a call to become our more fabulous selves as God’s plan of our beloved nation continues to unfold.
That said, I can’t understand why people wait for folks to die and then talk about how much they loved and cherished them. Why do people do that?
Wouldn’t it be great if our “ELECTED LEADERS” embraced the mantle of leadership and set their political and ideological differences aside for “THE GREATER GOOD” of our nation as we strive to unify our beloved country?
We’ve gone too far to the left and the right and found ourselves as a nation at a place where the outer fringes of our two major political parties are driving a wedge between us that has us teetering on the cusp of a second civil war.
Listen. I work with candidates from both sides of the political aisle; therefore, I can tell you with unadulterated assurance that our “ELECTED OFFICIALS” from these two major political parties don’t hate each other nearly as much as they pretend to when playing the game of politics.
Yes, politics is a game, and Americans are watching political theater for the most part. And the saddest part about all of this is many voters don’t even realize that they are being manipulated and toyed with by “ELECTED OFFICIALS” who are friends – not enemies.
If you don’t believe me, take a look at what Governor Greg Abbott (Republican), United States Senator Ted Cruz (Republican), and United States Congressman Dan Crenshaw (Republican), 2nd Congressional District of Texas, said after learning that the Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee had lost her battle against pancreatic cancer.
“Cecilia and I will forever remember Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee,” state Governor Greg Abbott, at 10:55 P.M. on Friday, July 19, 2024.
Gov. Abbott stated, “She was a proud Texan and a tireless advocate for the people of Houston.”
“Her legacy of public service and dedication will live on,” explained Gov. Abbott. “Please join us in prayer for her family and loved ones,” he said.
Does Governor Greg Abbott’s words about Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee sound like he’s talking about his arch-enemy or someone he admires and calls a friend?
Senator Ted Cruz is amid a heated Tuesday, November 5, 2024, battle against United States Congressman Colin Alred. However, Senator Cruz, someone vilified from the left, took time from the campaign trail to express his grief after learning that the Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee had moved on to glory.
“I’m deeply saddened by the passing of my friend & colleague Sheila Jackson Lee,” explained Sen. Cruz at 9:40 A.M. on Saturday, June 20, 2024. “She was a tireless advocate for Houston,” says Sen. Cruz.
He stated, “I will always cherish our friendship & the laughs we shared throughout the years.”
“Heidi & I offer our prayers and sincerest condolences to her family,” professed Sen. Cruz, who seems to have cared about Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and valued their friendship.
Congressman Dan Crenshaw, the US Representative for the 2nd Congressional District of Texas, seemed to paint a picture of the Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in her death that he never shared with “THE AMERICAN PEOPLE” while she was on this side of glory.
“Rest in Peace, Sheila. She was always kind to me and sought to find common interests – mitigating flooding, improving our infrastructure, and helping veterans. She cared about Houston with all her heart and will be missed,” said Congressman Dan Crenshaw at 10:43 P.M. on Friday, July 19, 2024.
Congress Al Green, the US Representative for the 9th Congressional District of Texas, stated, “My condolences to @JacksonLeeTX18 immediate family, staff, & extended family.” He further said, “This is a great loss to people across the globe suffering injustice. Although we’ve lost her physical presence, her spiritual presence will continue to reside in all who knew her.”
Former professional prizefighter turned businessman Eric Carr had a very close relationship with the Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee from his troubled youth.
Carr is one of the first people I called after I heard about Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee dying. “When I think about Sheila Jackson Lee, I think about a person who was for the people — a person who was a fighter. A person who sincerely cared for her community,” explained Carr as he fought back tears.
“I always think of Sheila when I think of boxing,” he explained. “And when I think of boxing, I think of Tommy “HITMAN” Hearns,” said Carr.
According to Carr, the “HITMAN” always came to fight. “Even though he might not have always won the big ones, you knew that you would get your money’s worth with Tommy – he’s going to fight.”
“And that’s what I think about when I think of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee – she always came to fight for the people of the 18th Congressional District of Texas.”
Carr explained, “The reason why this death hurts so bad is that it’s not like we’ve just lost a Congresswoman – this one feels like we lost the last part of an era.”
“Sheila had a sincerity about her and was never about money. That’s one of the things I love most about her. She could care less about the money.”
Carr says, “Sheila wouldn’t take money from certain people.”
“Right now, many people are jockeying for her position, which some of that I think is sad because the woman isn’t even in the ground yet,” explains Eric Carr, who knew Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee from a close personal perspective that grew into a loving friendship.
Eric Carr says, “We must be mindful of the people asking us to vote for them. We must be mindful and ensure that the person we put in has the same spirit and might as Barbara, Mickey, and Sheila.”
“We’ve got to put that type of person in there,” he says. “So often in politics, we go around and let these people come to us and ask for our vote, and they beg for the votes, pay for the votes, and whatnot.”
Carr asks, “If a person is sincere and cares about the community, “why do they have to go around and bash this person and that person, and beg and pay whatever it takes, to get into office.’
“Are these people jockeying for Congresswoman Lee’s seat doing it for the people,” asked Carr. “Or are they doing this for their self-esteem, pocketbooks, or self-gratification?”
When it comes to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, according to Eric Carr, he wants people to remember her as the servant she was for the people. “I want people to remember her for the warrior she was – the fighter she was – the heart that she possessed – the tenacity and the intestinal fortitude that she had.”
“And when you decide who we want for the 18th Congressional District, if the person does not measure up to those standards I’ve mentioned – they’re not the person we need.” 
“LOOKING AHEAD.”
The people of the predominantly African American 18th Congressional District are perplexed about who should succeed the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
The late Honorable Congresswoman Barbara Jordan was the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress from the South. After Congresswoman Jordan, the Honorable Mickey Leland, the Honorable Craig Washington, and the Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee have represented the people of the historic 18th Congressional District of Texas.
The 18th Congressional District has fallen into “VACANT STATUS” after Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s death, and some tough decisions lie ahead. The Harris County Precinct Chairs have until August 26, 2024, to elect a nominee.
More importantly than the looming August 26, 2024, deadline for Harris County Precinct Chairs to choose a nominee for the 18th Congressional District of Texas is the looming September 9, 2024, date when the Second Session of the 118th United States Congress will reconvene.
As it relates to what will happen next after Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee lost her battle with pancreatic cancer on Friday, July 19, 2024, the next few weeks will be telling, as Harris Democratic Precinct Chairs will be courted, wined and dined, and perhaps convinced to cast their vote for one candidate or another.
Based on how these things have played out in the past, Commissioner Rodney Ellis (Precinct One) and State Senator Borris L. Miles (Senate District 13) will be the ‘BIG DAWGS’ playing ball behind the scenes. However, under state law, the clock is already ticking for the Harris County Democratic Party’s executive committee (Precinct Chairs) to nominate a replacement.
From what I understand, the Harris County Democratic Party’s executive committee must choose a nominee before August 26, 2024, to run against Lana Centonze, who earned 53.3% of the vote in the March 5, 2024, Republican Party Primary to defeat Aaron Hermes, who earned 46.7%.
Ed Atkinson, a member of the Veterans Party, will also be on the November 5, 2024, ballot running in the race to replace Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who has passed away.
However, I was told last night by a high-ranking Democrat elected official that the decision as to who will serve as the Democratic nominee on November 5, 2024, will be entirely up to the Precinct Chairs.
If the decision comes down to Governor Greg Abbott, I understand he can call for a special election. However, from what I know, Gov. Abbott can appoint someone to fill out the remainder of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s term, which expires in January 2024.
As you may or may not know, I am the reporter who initially broke the story about the Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
A close friend of the Honorable Congresswoman (not former prizefighter turned businessman Eric Carr) leaked the diagnosis to me in an attempt to try and avoid the chaos that’s currently unfolding in the aftermath of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s death.
The source who leaked the diagnosis to me a few months ago was very concerned that Commissioner Rodney Ellis and others were trying to position former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner as Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s successor by having him appear in a series of photo-ops.
After I published a few reports on the matter, along with photos of the Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s frail body, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and other members of the “ELLIS/TURNER/LEE” regime began to shift away from their strategy which involved having Congresswoman Lee to show up at events in the sweltering Houston heat instead of spending the remaining of her days surrounded by her family and close friends.
Things came to a boil when Channel 11 News took my reports seriously and began pressing Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s campaign to answer the question of whether she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, as my team and I had reported.
After my relentless reporting on the matter, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s Campaign came clean on June 2, 2024. Their announcement solidified the fact that my reporting was accurate and that the Honorable Congresswoman had indeed been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
“The road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me,” said Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in a prepared statement.
On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, Bishop James Dixon, the senior pastor, and founder of the Community of Faith Church in Acres Homes, arranged and held a prayer vigil for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, where community leaders, members of the clergy, elected officials, musical entertainers, and friends showed up to pay their respects.
The next time anyone heard Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s voice was on Saturday, June 19, 2024, when she called CNN and discussed the importance of “JUNETEENTH” with Dana Bash, a CNN anchor.
The CNN telephone interview with Dana Bash was the last time anyone publicly heard Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee's voice before she met her date with Destiny on Friday, July 19, 2024.
“THE DEADLY ILLNESS.”
In the spirit of public concern and the people’s right to know, I would have continued to publish reports about Congresswoman Lee’s health to keep her constituents who live inside the boundaries of the 18th Congressional District of Texas informed.
The citizens of the 18th Congressional District deserved to know the truth about their beloved Congresswoman and her battle against pancreatic cancer. However, after being asked to take a softer approach in my reporting on Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s battle with pancreatic cancer by several high-ranking current and former Democrat officials, I honored their request and pulled back.
Businessman Eric Carr, one of my key supporters who loved Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee dearly, also asked me to use a softer approach in my reporting on “THE CONGRESSWOMAN” as she began to deteriorate after her deadly pancreatic cancer diagnosis rapidly.
After discussing the matter with businessman Eric Carr and others, I embargoed reporting on Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s illness, even though my reports and opinions are free speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
As a publisher, I must deliver news pertinent to my readers without fear or favor.
As an investigative reporter, the “FREEDOM OF THE PRESS” clause stated in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution grants me the same authority and protections afforded to reporters who work for major networks such as NBC News, CBS News, ABC News, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC, Politico, TMZ, BBC News, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Daily Beast, The Hill, and the Texas Tribune.
Out of deference to former prizefighter turned businessman Eric Carr and others, I withheld my reporting on the Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s rapidly deteriorating health status. That said, the people of the predominantly African American 18th Congressional District deserve much better than what’s unfolding right now.
“THOSE DIRTY DAWGS.”
In my opinion, the people who recruited the Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to run for Mayor of Houston are a bunch of selfish, egotistical, power-hungry fools who did not give a damn about her.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was doing relatively well before she entered the race for Mayor in March 2023, after the field was already crowded and included state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, former METRO Chairman Gilbert Garcia, Chris Hollins, the former Harris County Clerk, and Amand Edwards, a former City Councilwoman.
Upon her entry into the already crowded field of “MAYORAL HOPEFULS,” Chris Hollins immediately bolted from the race and decided to run for City Controller instead, which, in hindsight, turned out to be a smart move.
Amanda Edwards rejected the idea that she should abandon her dream of becoming Houston’s first African American female Mayor for weeks. However, after relentless pressure from local pastors, community leaders, civic leaders, and party bosses, she reluctantly abandoned her dream and exited the race for Mayor on Monday, June 19, 2023. She immediately announced her bid to become the US Representative for the 18th Congressional District of Texas.
The notion that Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee would become Mayor of Houston if Chris Hollins and Amanda Edwards abandoned their aspirations was fundamentally flawed.
Hollins and Edwards stood a better chance to become Mayor than Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. And the “DIRTY DAWGS” who pressured Amanda Edwards to abandon her aspiration to become Mayor should be her “BIGGEST CHEERLEADERS” if she throws her hat in the ring.
If Amanda Edwards decided to go before the Harris County Democratic Precinct Chairs, her selfless act of stepping aside and allowing Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to run for Mayor of Houston when she (Amanda Edwards) was a much more robust “MAYORAL CONTENDER” must be considered.
Remember, if Amanda Edwards had stayed in the race for Mayor in 2023, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee would have had to compete against her for the African American vote and for the female vote – which would have caused Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to get completely humiliated even more so than she did, when she faced off against state Sen. John Whitmire in the December 12, 2024, runoff election.
In reality, “THE DIRTY DAWGS,” who convinced Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to run for Mayor of Houston, caused her a public humiliation that she never recovered from, as she slugged it out with the most formidable opponent she ever faced – pancreatic cancer.
“THE 2024 NOMINEE.”
Who should the Harris County Democratic Precinct Chairs select to replace Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee on the upcoming Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Presidential Election ballot?
I don’t care who the Democrats choose, just so long as they don’t select former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who appears to be in worse condition than Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was when she announced that she had pancreatic cancer back in June.
Former Mayor Sylvester Turner is the most corrupt Mayor the City of Houston has ever had. He was corrupt before he became Mayor and continued his corrupt ways after becoming the CEO of Bayou City.
“SPECIAL ELECTION.”
If Governor Greg Abbott calls a “SPECIAL ELECTION” to fill the current vacancy in the 18th Congressional District, this could be catastrophic for the Harris County Democratic Party nominees already on the upcoming Tuesday, November 5, 2024, ballot.
Calling a “SPECIAL ELECTION,” which would occur between now and Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Presidential Election is not the right way to go. The wrong decision might get misconstrued as an attempt to confuse African American voters and suppress the Black vote by subjecting voters in the 18th Congressional District to return to the polls two more times before the most consequential Presidential Election of our lifetimes.
I strongly implore Gov. Greg Abbott to consider appointing someone to serve out the remainder of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s term, which expires in January 2025, rather than subjecting the people of Harris County, Texas, to two more elections when they have endured way too many during the 2024 Election cycle.
On June 15, 2024, the people of Harris County had to go to the polls to vote in the Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) runoff election.
On May 28, 2024, Harris County Democratic Party Primary voters and Harris County Republican Party Primary voters had to go to the polls to vote in their primary runoff elections.
Back on May 4, 2024, the people of Harris County had to go to the polls to vote in a “SPECIAL ELECTION” to fill the vacancy in the Senate District 15 and vote to elect members to the Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) Board of Directors.
On March 5, 2024, the people of Harris County went to the polls to elect the nominees for the Harris County Democratic Party (HCDP) and the Harris County Republican Party (HCRP), who will appear on the upcoming Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Presidential Election ballot.
“CLOSING THOUGHTS.”
Instead of calling a “SPECIAL ELECTION,” the more intelligent thing to do would be for Gov. Greg Abbott to appoint someone like Dr. Richard Johnson, who he’s already vetted, to serve out the remainder of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s term. If you remember, Richard Johnson ran for the 18th Congressional District against Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee during the 2018 Midterm in the Democratic Party Primary.
Gov. Abbott could also strongly consider appointing State Rep. Shawn Thierry (HD-146), who paid a heavy price for her stance on social issues recently after being labeled a conservative who voted with Governor Greg Abbott.
Suppose State Rep. Thierry has already been accused of being “A REPUBLICAN” who votes with Governor Greg Abbott. Wouldn’t it be something if Governor Abbott appointed State Rep. Shawn Thierry to serve out the remainder of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s term, which expires in January?
Another excellent choice for Governor Greg Abbott to consider for the appointment is former City Councilman Dwight Boykins, who represented the people of District D and demonstrated himself as a robust and bold leader.
Remember, the clock is ticking on Governor Greg Abbott, and the Harris County Democratic Party “EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE” comprises the Precinct Chairs.
The deadline for “THE PRECINCT CHAIRS” to nominate a replacement for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is August 26, 2024. And the United States Congress will reconvene on Monday, September 9, 2024, so let’s get to it!
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONSEMAIL: aubreyrtaylor@gmail.com