Texas Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner dead at 70, expanding House GOP majority

Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) died early Wednesday after serving just two months and two days in Congress, party officials said Wednesday. He was 70.

Linda Brown, a spokesperson for Turner, told the Associated Press the congressman was taken to a hospital and died at his home on Wednesday morning after being released.

Turner’s death means the House of Representatives now has 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats, with three vacancies — giving Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) slightly more breathing room in pending partisan battles over a potential partial government shutdown and enacting President Trump’s agenda.

A cause of death was not immediately available.

“The House Democratic Caucus family is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Congressman Sylvester Turner,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a statement. “Though he was newly elected to the Congress, Rep. Turner had a long and distinguished career in public service and spent decades fighting for the people of Houston.”

“I’m so heartbroken to learn about the passing of my dear friend Congressman and former Mayor @SylvesterTurner!” former Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison wrote on X. “We became friends during the DNC Convention Site selection process in 2018.  A visionary leader and advocate… I will miss my friend and he will be missed by so many in his beloved Houston, TX.  My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. May he Rest in Peace!”

Turner, who was elected in 2024 to replace longtime Houston-area Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee following her death while in office, had attended President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress the night of his passing.

“My message to the current administration for tonight’s State of the Union: ‘Don’t mess with Medicaid,’” Turner wrote in his final post on X. “I am proud to have Angela Hernandez here from our Congressional district as my guest. She is representing and advocating for her daughter Baislee Garcia who has a rare genetic disorder Chromosome 8p: Inversion/Duplication/Deletion.

“Let me be clear: any cuts to Medicaid are a direct attack on families like Angela’s. 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.”

“Like those before him, Rep. Turner was a fighter until the end – he was present yesterday evening to ensure that the voice of one of his constituents, who relies on Medicaid, was heard,” Jeffries said. “In what would be his final message to his beloved constituents last night he reminded us ‘don’t mess with Medicaid.'”

“We were on the floor together last night. You never know for whom the bell will toll next,” Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who was ejected from the House chamber for repeatedly disrupting Trump’s remarks, . “I’m a little full from losing my friend.”

“I’m just overwhelmed,” Green added. “When I heard [the news], I fell to my knees. I can’t believe it.” 

Before being elected to Congress, native Houstonian Turner had spent eight years as mayor of the city after serving for 17 years in the Texas state legislature.

In November 2022, Turner revealed that he had undergone surgery and six weeks of radiation therapy following the discovery of bone cancer in his jaw. 

“The entire House Democratic Caucus family is praying for the Turner family and staff, as well as the City of Houston,” Jeffries concluded his statement. “May he forever rest in power.”