“Today we get to celebrate our fantastic, well-deserved, historic win,”
The Texan: Molly Cook Declares Victory in Primary Runoff to Replace John Whitmire in Texas Senate
Although the race has not yet been officially called, Molly Cook seems poised to narrowly win the Democratic nomination to represent the Texas Senate District (SD) 15 seat vacated by John Whitmire when he was elected mayor of Houston last November.
According to unofficial election results posted by Harris County, Cook has won 50.2 percent of the vote over her opponent state Rep. Jarvis Johnson (D-Houston), holding on to a slim 74-vote lead in the Democratic primary runoff election for the Houston-area Senate district.
Cook defeated Johnson in a special election to fill Whitmire’s unexpired term earlier this month, taking 57 percent of the just over 16,000 cast, but also had to win the Democratic primary election to continue to represent the district beginning in 2025.
While Harris County continues to count mail-in ballots, Cook has declared victory in the race.
“Today we get to celebrate our fantastic, well-deserved, historic win,” said Cook in a statement to The Texan. “Winning a Texas Senate seat is a big deal, and it tastes extra sweet because it is born of sheer grit, determination, and teamwork.”
An emergency room nurse, Cook campaigned on her experience as a woman who has had an abortion, says she will be the first “out member of the LGBTQ+ community to ever serve in the Texas Senate,” and notes she will be the only Democratic medical professional.
With the Democratic nomination now in hand, Cook must still win her general election contest in November, in which she will face Republican nominee Joseph Trahan to represent the reliably Democratic district. SD 15 carries a Texas Partisan Index rating of D-63%.
Cook previously ran against Whitmire for SD 15 in 2022 and took 42 percent of the Democratic primary vote and gained notoriety as an opponent of plans to relocate and widen portions of the Interstate 45 freeway in Houston over environmental and civil rights concerns. She has a long history of activism within the community and campaigns for increased access to abortion, LGBT rights, and opposition to both school choice initiatives and expansion of public charter schools.
Jacki Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, celebrated Cook’s apparent win saying, “We know that Senator Molly Cook will be a strong supporter of public education and represent us well.”
Johnson previously served as a Houston City Council member from 2006 to 2012 before winning a special election to succeed former state representative-turned-Houston mayor Sylvester Turner in Texas House District (HD) 139.
Texas Sens. Boris Miles (D-Houston) and Royce West (D-Dallas) along with 17 state House Democrats were supporting Johnson, who also drew the endorsement of the Houston Chronicle, but in the end, big-name backers were not enough to put Johnson over the top.
In preparation for the special and primary elections, Cook put together an aggressive team committed to old-fashioned person-to-person campaigning with the goal of improving Democratic turnout. Cook has vowed to expand her victory to help fellow Democrats to increase representation in the Texas House as well.
When Harris County officials completed the initial vote count after the 2022 general election, in the race for the 180th District Court candidate Tami Pierce led incumbent Judge DaSean Jones by 465 votes. But as the county continued to count mail-in ballots, at one point seeking a court order to extend the counting past the statutory deadline, Pierce’s lead evaporated.
The final tally placed Jones ahead by 449 votes, but Pierce filed a legal election contest in January 2023 and earlier this month a visiting judge determined that more than 1,400 ballots had been illegally counted.
Other Houston-area Democrats winning primary runoff elections include Charlene Ward Johnson, who defeated Angie Thibodeaux to replace Rep. Johnson in HD 139. Ward Johnson is a trustee of the Houston Community College Board (HCC) and the ex-wife of Rep. Johnson.
In nearby HD 146, Lauren Ashley Simmons defeated incumbent Rep. Shawn Thierry for the Democratic Party nomination.
“I have the skills, courage, and faith in our communities, and I am ready to save lives.”
The Texan: Molly Cook Wins Special Election to Fill Remainder of Whitmire's Term in Texas Senate
Political activist Molly Cook won a special election Saturday to represent Texas Senate District (SD) 15 for the remainder of this year, filling the vacancy left by now-Houston Mayor John Whitmire who held the seat for more than 40 years.
“It is the honor of my life that the people of District 15 have chosen me as their next State Senator,” Cook said in a statement to The Texan. “Tonight’s results show that Harris County voters are ready to send an ER nurse and grassroots organizer to fight for them in Austin. This victory would not be possible without the thousands of volunteers, donors, and supporters who powered my campaign from the very beginning—I could not be more grateful for their support.”
“We’re not going to be able to make the change that we need until we’re able to flip some of those statewide seats.”
The Texan: Houstonians to Vote Twice in May on Replacement for Mayor Whitmire in Texas Senate
An emergency room nurse, Cook previously ran against Whitmire for SD 15 in 2022 and took 42 percent of the vote. An opponent of plans to relocate and widen portions of the Interstate 45 freeway in Houston over environmental and civil rights concerns, she has a long history of activism within the community and campaigns for increased access to abortion, LGBT rights, and opposition to both school choice initiatives and expansion of public charter schools.
Despite Johnson’s criminal justice reform work, the Texas Organizing Project — which advocates for significant changes to end “mass incarceration” and racially disparate outcomes — has endorsed Cook. She is also endorsed by the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus and Annie’s List, a pro-choice PAC.
Both candidates expressed support for the right to abortion, with Cook noting that she brought not only nursing experience but the experience of a woman who has had an abortion in the State of Texas.
“That’s a perspective that we need to fight for all of us,” said Cook, adding that women needed access to safe abortions. She also committed to working to help Democrats take control of the Texas House.
“We’re not going to be able to make the change that we need until we’re able to flip some of those statewide seats.”