HOUSTON — Texas state Sen. John Whitmire officially entered the race for Houston mayor on Saturday.
Whitmire has been a state senator since 1983. He kicked off his campaign at Minute Maid Park surrounded by hundreds of people.
"Together, we can make Houston better," he said as he launched his campaign.
Among those showing support were lawmakers, elected officials and union leaders from the Houston police and fire departments.
"I support John Whitmire for mayor," said Houston Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia.
"There's a person in this room that I believe will make those hard decisions and work in this city," said a representative for the Houston Police Officers' Union. "In this city, we're going to support our law enforcement. In this city, we're going to support our firefighters."
Whitmire is the longest-serving member of the Texas Senate, being elected in 1982 after serving 10 years in the state House.
He was the first candidate to publicly announce his plans to run for mayor, despite only officially launching his campaign on Saturday.
"It's gonna be a tough campaign," he said.
The race for Houston mayor aims to replace the term-limited incumbent Sylvester Turner come November.
Among his competitors is Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who's spent nearly three decades in Congress. KHOU 11 political analyst Bob Stein said Jackson Lee is Whitmire's main competition.
"Right now, Whitmire probably is advantaged by Sheila entering the race and if she stays in the race without any opposition in the African-American community, she is a formidable opponent to John Whitmire," Stein said.
During his time in the Senate, Whitmire has worked on criminal justice and public safety. He said he'll bring his experience as a state senator to help get the City of Houston the funds it needs.
"We need state resources on our infrastructure, our water supply, our public safety," he said. "So I will bring Austin and Houston leadership to work together. And with the county, the county and the city are going to have to work closer together."
The deadline for candidates to file for a place on the ballot is Aug. 21. Election Day is Nov. 7.