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Texas Rep. Sylvester Turner (D), the former mayor of Houston who won a seat in Congress in November, has died, per The Hill. He was 70.
Turner died on Tuesday (March 4) night after attending President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress on Capitol Hill.
“The House Democratic Caucus family is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Congressman Sylvester Turner,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement announcing Turner's death. “Though he was newly elected to the Congress, Rep. Turner had a long and distinguished career in public service and spent decades fighting for the people of Houston.”
Prior to his death, Turner shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, speaking out against the Trump administration's attack on Medicaid with Angela Hernandez, his guest for the president's joint address to Congress.
"Don’t mess with Medicaid,” Turner said in the video.
Turner served as the mayor of Houston from 2016 to 2024. He went on to win the November race to represent Texas' 18th Congressional District, succeeding the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the freshman congressman was taken to the hospital on Tuesday night in his announcement of Turner's death.
“It’s my duty as the mayor to confirm that Congressman Sylvester Turner, a former mayor, state representative for 24 years, passed away last night. He was working in Washington and was taken to the hospital and he passed,” Whitmire said Wednesday (March 5).
Before serving as mayor, Turner was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for nearly 27 years.
“As the Representative for the 18th Congressional District in Texas, Sylvester followed in the hallowed footsteps of trailblazers like the great Barbara Jordan and our late sister, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee,” Jeffries said in his statement. “We all stand on the shoulders of these incredible giants and join Texans in mourning the tremendous loss of another iconic leader.”
“Like those before him, Rep. Turner was a fighter until the end – he was present yesterday evening to ensure that the voice of one of his constituents, who relies on Medicaid, was heard,” he added. “In what would be his final message to his beloved constituents last night he reminded us ‘don’t mess with Medicaid.’”
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