March 6, 2025
Rep. Sylvester Turner, Former Houston Mayor, Dies In D.C.
The former mayor left a final message to constituents ahead of his attendance at Trump's Tuesday address: 'Don't mess with Medicaid.'
The City of Houston has confirmed that Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner, the former Houston mayor, died just weeks after starting his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was 70 years old.
The Houston Chronicle reported that Turner died Tuesday night during a trip to Washington, D.C., for President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress. Although the cause of death has not been revealed, a source told CBS News that Turner started to feel unwell on Tuesday night.
Turner was elected last November to replace Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee, who died last July from pancreatic cancer.
Ahead of Trump’s address, Turner took to X to post a message to the current administration. “Don’t mess with Medicaid,” the March 4 post read. “Let me be clear: any cuts to Medicaid are a direct attack on families.”
Turner concluded, “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 served as Houston’s mayor from 2016 until 2024. Current Mayor John Whitmire said that flags were lowered to half-staff at City Hall and other city buildings in Turner’s honor.
In a statement on X, Whitmire described Turner as a “remarkable public servant who impacted millions of people.”
During a moment of reflection on Wednesday, council members remembered Turner as a “servant who served us well” who was a “tremendous family man” with a great sense of humor.
“Rep. Turner was a fighter until the end.” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the House Democratic Leader. “He was present yesterday evening to ensure that the voice of one of his constituents, who relies on Medicaid, was heard.”
Turner focused his platform on education, job training, hurricane recovery, cancer, and women’s reproductive rights. In November, he said he was looking forward to representing the 18th Congressional District and continuing to serve the people as Jackson Lee did for 30 years.
He was dedicated to fighting to bring back federal resources, affordable housing, healthcare and infrastructure dollars.
Whitmire asked the Houston community to celebrate Turner’s life, adding that his death was “a terrible loss for the city” and a personal loss for him.
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