“Let’s take a moment to root ourselves in gratitude and bask in our community, and let’s get to work.”

Houston Chronicle: ER nurse Molly Cook defeats Jarvis Johnson in race for John Whitmire's Texas Senate seat

State Sen. Molly Cook narrowly defeated state Rep. Jarvis Johnson on Tuesday, as the two faced off for the second time this month in the race to secure the Texas Senate seat previously held by Mayor John Whitmire. 

The two candidates advanced to a runoff during the Democratic primary in March, eliminating four other contenders. Cook then defeated Johnson, 57% to 43%, in a special election in early May to determine who would finish out the remainder of Whitmire’s term. The victory allowed Cook to represent the deep-blue Senate District 15 through the end of the year.

On Tuesday, Cook triumphed over Johnson again, 50.2% to 49.8%, during the primary runoff. With 18,782 votes cast in the low-turnout election, Cook prevailed by 74 votes. She will now face businessman Joseph Trahan, the sole Republican to enter the race, in November.

Given the district’s history as a Democratic stronghold, Tuesday’s voters have likely determined who would ultimately serve the district for a full four-year term starting next year.

“Winning a Texas Senate seat is a big deal, and it tastes extra sweet because it is born of sheer grit, determination, and teamwork. We have organized for years, stayed true to our values, and built momentum that extends beyond this election,” Cook said in a statement. “Let’s take a moment to root ourselves in gratitude and bask in our community, and let’s get to work.”

The District 15 seat became vacant for the first time since 1983, after Whitmire left the Legislature to serve as Houston’s mayor in January. 

The highly diverse district includes several of Houston’s prominent neighborhoods, including Montrose and the Heights. Its population is composed of 40% Hispanic, 29% white, 22% Black and 9% Asian residents, according to state data based on the U.S. Census.

Who did your neighbor vote for in the 2024 Harris County runoff election?

Houston Chronicle: Who did your neighbor vote for in the 2024 Harris County runoff election?

A nail-biter political fight for Mayor John Whitmire's former state Senate seat and a hearty defeat of a four-term Democratic state representative who found herself on the outskirts of her own party — those were two of the highlights in Houston's primary runoff election on Tuesday. 

We've compiled the precinct-level results for these two key races: state Senate District 15 (Whitmire's former seat) where state Sen. Molly Cook defeated state Rep. Jarvis Johnson by a slim 74-vote margin and state House District 146 where union organizer Lauren Ashley Simmons emerged victorious over sitting state Rep. Shawn Thierry by a nearly 2,000-vote margin.

Senate District 15

Voters in state Senate District 15, the district long-helmed by Whitmire, have become pretty used to heading to the polls. Cook and Johnson advanced to a runoff during the Democratic primary in March, knocking out four other contenders. Cook then defeated Johnson by double digit margins in a special election in early May to determine who would finish out the remainder of Whitmire’s term through the end of the year.

In Tuesday's runoff election to determine who would take on Republican Joseph Trahan in November and represent the district after this year, Cook defeated Johnson by less than half of a percentage point. 

“When we win again on the 28th, I will organize Senate District 15 to be the highest Democratic turnout district in the state.”

Houston Chronicle: Molly Cook wins special election to fill John Whitmire’s Texas Senate seat

Emergency room nurse Molly Cook won a special election Saturday to finish the remaining term of former state Sen. John Whitmire, who stepped down from the Legislature four months ago to become the mayor of Houston.

Cook held an early double-digit lead over state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, also a Democrat, that only grew over the course of the night, according to complete but unofficial returns.

…

“When we win again on the 28th, I will organize Senate District 15 to be the highest Democratic turnout district in the state and fight for our candidates up and down the ballot,” Cook said in a news release after declaring victory Saturday night. “I have the skills, courage and faith in our communities, and I am ready to save lives.”

“I promise never to touch dark Republican money that is floating through these PACs.”

Houston Chronicle: 4 debate takeaways as Johnson, Cook clash in heated race to succeed Whitmire in Texas Senate

“I promise never to touch dark Republican money that is floating through these PACs and changing the landscape and culture of our state around public education,” she said.

“The energy is there. The values are there. What's missing is somebody in that seat who's ready to be the point on the spear to make it happen.”

Houston Chronicle: Race to succeed John Whitmire in Texas Senate down to runoff between Jarvis Johnson, Molly Cook

“We need deep canvassing in the off-season to understand why low-propensity voters are not turning out,” Cook told the Chronicle on Tuesday night at her watch party at The Flat. “The energy is there. The values are there. What's missing is somebody in that seat who's ready to be the point on the spear to make it happen.”

“It's a tough road to make sure that the right people get into the right spots,” Cook said, adding she expects herself to head to a runoff with Johnson. “But now you start fresh with the new batch of likely voters and a new batch of voters that you can bring into it … and I’m excited for it.”

“I’m extremely hopeful and extremely excited.”

Houston Chronicle: Texas primary results in major incumbent shakeups despite low turnout

Molly Cook, a Democrat vying to replace John Whitmire in the Texas Senate after he was elected Houston’s mayor, spent Tuesday afternoon at Poe Elementary School campaigning with her dad, Mark Cook.

The pair stood on the sidewalk and handed out fliers to voters passing by.

“I’m proud of her,” Mark Cook said. “This is a lot of work. I had no idea.”

Molly Cook believes her background in nursing and public health, along with her grassroots campaign, is what sets her apart from the six Democratic candidates on the Senate District 15 ticket.

“I’m extremely hopeful and extremely excited,” she said.

“If you send me to Austin, I'll bring nursing leadership, public health, and grassroots organizing into every room.”

Houston Chronicle: Candidates make their pitch to fill John Whitmire's vacated Texas senate seat after 40-year tenure

Molly Cook, an emergency room nurse, is not new to the race for Senate District 15. She challenged Whitmire in the Democratic primary two years ago and lost to the incumbent with a 42% to 58% vote split. The contest marked Whitmire's narrowest margin of victory since the early 1990s.

She has been at the forefront of several grassroots organizing efforts, including an initiative to halt the massive I-45 expansion project and a successful campaign last year to amplify Houston's influence on a regional planning body.

“You have to show up over and over again for people, be authentic and genuine, and let them know that they can depend on you, and then follow through to build relationships and build cohesion across our district,” Cook said. “If you send me to Austin, I'll bring nursing leadership, public health, and grassroots organizing into every room.”

“I just wish we all felt a little more deeply connected.”

Houston Chronicle: Like Houston’s population, transportation leaders getting more diverse

"I loved Spring and have many happy memories of climbing trees, jumping with neighbors on our trampoline, swim meets, and riding my bike to the corner store or the pool at the heart of the neighborhood. Other kids my age lived nearby, and I have always enjoyed being a big sister. No family is perfect, but I was content and well-cared for as a child. I reckon everyone in our neighborhood drove. The entrance to our quiet neighborhood was on a very busy Louetta Road. We rode bikes inside the neighborhood, but we basically never left the neighborhood without a car. Dad commuted to work downtown; mom carted us around to various activities and lessons. We relied heavily on our cars. I can remember being 13 and writing in my journal how badly I wanted a license. It represented freedom and independence to me then.

“The most influential moments in my path to transportation advocacy were moments when I learned about the history of transportation policy and the risks and harms that single occupancy vehicles cause to public health. But I fell in love with active transportation while walking and biking around the (University of Texas) campus and Austin and traveling to the east coast of the U.S. and western Europe.

“I just wish we all felt a little more deeply connected. When I am on the train riding from a Rockets game, or when I can smell olive blossoms riding my bike to work, I feel very rooted in my place and my location. That feeling of mindful presence and belonging contributes to longer, healthier lives."

Molly Cook, a Democrat who ran for state Sen. District 15 in 2022, filed on Saturday to run for the position again.

Houston Chronicle: Candidate filing underway through Dec. 11 for March 2024 primaries

Molly Cook, a Democrat who ran for state Sen. District 15 in 2022, filed on Saturday to run for the position again. District 15 could become an open seat if state Sen. John Whitmire wins the Houston mayoral runoff on Dec. 9. Whitmire defeated Cook last year, though the primary challenger took 42% of the vote, giving Whitmire his narrowest margin of victory since the early 1990s.

“It took grit, trust, and persistence, and this time we won.”

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“As organizers fighting for a safer, healthier future for the Houston region, sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose,” Fair for Houston organizer Molly Cook said in a statement released by the grassroots campaign on Wednesday morning. “It took grit, trust, and persistence, and this time we won. I hope everyone watching this campaign unfold for the last year feels more powerful than ever to shape change in their own backyards.”

— Fair for Houston organizer Molly Cook

“These issue-driven campaigns can help engage and galvanize those who might feel disconnected from mainstream politics.”

Houston Chronicle: As Houston turns more blue, the mayoral race gives young progressives an opportunity to shine

Molly Cook, a Democratic activist running for Whitmire’s state senate seat, agreed that the progressive community's years of groundwork are beginning to yield some results.

Within six months, she says, the campaign gathered over 23,000 signatures to add Proposition B to the November ballot. The ballot measure, if approved, would require Houston to withdraw from any regional planning group without a proportional voting structure based on population size.

Cook said these issue-driven campaigns can help engage and galvanize those who might feel disconnected from mainstream politics.

“It’s difficult to affect electoral dynamics in one cycle,” she said, before adding that this kind of proposition would almost certainly boost turnout.

— Molly Cook, a Democratic activist running for Whitmire’s state senate seat

"Y’all’s success is measured in billions (of dollars) and miles (of road).”

Houston Chronicle: Texas poised for record $85 billion-plus in road construction

"Y’all’s success is measured in billions (of dollars) and miles (of road), not in small businesses opened, not in communities healed and not in lives saved.”

— Stop TxDOT organizer Molly Cook

Plan to demolish apartments near Minute Maid Park sparks backlash from Sheila Jackson Lee, activists

Houston Chronicle: Plan to demolish apartments near Minute Maid Park sparks backlash from Sheila Jackson Lee, activists

"On Saturday, activists with Stop TxDOT I-45 gathered to photograph community members at the demolition site, and engaged with Astros fans leaving Minute Maid Park about the harmful local impact they say the expansion will have. About 25 passersby took pictures with signs reading “Housing Not Highways” and other slogans."

“It shouldn’t be just rich, able-bodied folks who can get down here and participate in these giant projects that affect every one of us.”

Houston Chronicle: Opponents deluge TxDOT officials with calls to rethink highway projects across state, including I-45

“It shouldn’t be just rich, able-bodied folks who can get down here and participate in these giant projects that affect every one of us.”

— Molly Cook, a nurse and leading organizer of Stop TxDOT I-45

"We have got to have buses and we have to take people out of their cars”

Houston Chronicle: I-45 project to resume after 2-year pause, as TxDOT, federal officials agree on $9.7B rebuild

"We have got to have buses and we have to take people out of their cars.”

— Molly Cook, an organizer with Stop TxDOT I-45

“Would these elected officials be so eager to move the project forward if it were their districts being torn apart?”

Houston Chronicle: Letters to the Editor

"Regarding “Houston Republicans urge Buttigieg to lift pause on I-45 expansion project,” (Nov. 9): It is unethical and outside their scope for these U.S. congressmen to hurry along a federal investigation of civil rights violations. There is no national presence working in Houston to fight the I-45 expansion. The Federal Highway Administration pause is in direct response to the Title VI concerns filed by real people in affected communities and local advocacy groups. The seven signatory elected officials on this letter do not really represent communities directly impacted by the project. They are ignorant to what is going on locally.

The people of Houston and Harris County deserve a functional I-45 project that centers those most impacted, reduces environmental impact and actually improves congestion and safety. The current design exacerbates all the problems TxDOT seeks to solve. A wider I-45 would not help in a hurricane evacuation; the key to successful evacuation is coordinated emergency response and messaging. No road in the world is wide enough for single-occupancy vehicle evacuation en masse.

Would these elected officials be so eager to move the project forward if it were their districts being torn apart? Or are they pushing profits for an elite few at the expense of our city? Maybe if they actually showed up to some of the advocacy meetings they love to talk about, we’d know."

“It’s very racially unjust."

Houston Chronicle: Fate of controversial I-45 project to be decided Tuesday, with yes-or-no vote after 15 years of work

“It’s very racially unjust.”

“We’re going to spend all this money to make the traffic worse and hurt a lot of people.”

“I want to reject a yes-no vote.”

Houston Chronicle: Editorial: TxDOT's way or no highway? SurveyMonkey poll no way to decide future of I-45

“I want to reject a yes-no vote on something that is this important, this expensive, that is this monumental for generations to come.”

"We want economic development, we want to reduce flooding, we want safety, people to be able to move through the region freely.”

Houston Chronicle: I-45 supporters urge TxDOT leaders to keep money for rebuild

“Honestly, we are on the same team and we want the same things for all of the communities.”

“We want economic development, we want to reduce flooding, we want safety, people to be able to move through the region freely. This is not the answer.”

“For them to threaten to take away funding...”

Houston Chronicle: Houston’s $9B I-45 rebuild could come down to online poll, after 15 years and $503 million

“For them to threaten to take away funding... It just blows my mind and is completely unconscionable."