2023 Houston mayoral election

The 2023 Houston mayoral election was held on November 7, 2023, with a runoff on December 9 because no candidate won a majority of the vote in the first round. It was held to elect the mayor of Houston, Texas. Incumbent Democratic mayor Sylvester Turner was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term in office. Municipal elections in Texas are officially nonpartisan.

Two longtime fixtures of Houston politics, state senator John Whitmire and U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, advanced to the runoff. Both Democrats, though Whitmire had drawn support from some Republicans while Turner endorsed Jackson Lee as his successor. Polls of the runoff consistently showed wide leads for Whitmire. Candidates eliminated in the first round include bond investor Gilbert Garcia and former at-large city councilor Jack Christie, the leading Republican candidate.

Whitmire prevailed in the runoff, defeating Jackson Lee in a landslide victory.

Advanced to runoff

 * Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. Representative for TX's 18th congressional district (party affiliation: Democratic)
 * John Whitmire, state senator and brother-in-law of former mayor Kathy Whitmire (party affiliation: Democratic)

Eliminated in the first round

 * Derrick Broze, investigative journalist and candidate for mayor in 2019 (party affiliation: Libertarian)
 * Jack Christie, former at-large city councilor and former chair of the Texas State Board of Education (party affiliation: Republican)
 * Robert Gallegos, city councilor (party affiliation: Democratic)
 * Gilbert Garcia, bond investor and former chair of the Houston Metro Board of Directors (party affiliation: Democratic)
 * Ralph Garcia
 * Naoufal Houjami, entertainment consultant and candidate for mayor in 2019
 * Lee Kaplan, attorney (party affiliation: Democratic)
 * M.J. Khan, former city councilor and former president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (party affiliation: Republican)
 * Julian Antonio Martinez, business owner
 * Chanel Mbala, IT professional and Uber driver (party affiliation: Independent)
 * Rickey Tezino, community activist
 * Robin Williams, police officer and U.S. Marine Corps veteran (party affiliation: Democratic)

Withdrew

 * Amanda Edwards, former at-large city councilor and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020 (party affiliation: Democratic) (ran unsuccessfully for U.S. House, endorsed Jackson Lee)
 * Chris Hollins, member of the Houston Metro Board of Directors, former acting Harris County Clerk, and former vice chair of the Texas Democratic Party (party affiliation: Democratic) (ran successfully for City Controller)

Declined

 * Tony Buzbee, attorney and runner-up for mayor in 2019 (party affiliation: Independent) (ran unsuccessfully for city council)

Fundraising
Some candidates have not filed financial disclosures. Those who have are listed below:

Endorsements
Endorsements in bold were made after the first round.

Aftermath
Shortly after her loss, Jackson Lee filed to run for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives on December 11, 2023. She would win the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024. Upon's Lee's passing in July 2024, Whitmire would later pay tribute to her and note how they did work together during the recent 2024 derecho.