What Challenges Face Houston’s Next Mayor?

On Saturday (Dec. 12, 2015), Houston voters went to the polls and narrowly elected Sylvester Turner as the next Mayor of Houston. Turner, who eked out the runoff election win with 51 percent of the vote, reinforced in his victory speech that he “will do [his] very, very best to represent every single Houstonian in this city.” The mayor-elect says he’ll focus on addressing the city’s finances, infrastructure needs, and public safety.

We talk with University of Houston Associate Professor of Political Science Brandon Rottinghaus about what he thinks Turner will be able to accomplish as mayor, and why Turner eked out such a close victory over Bill King.