HOUSTON — Chris Hollins has thrown his name into the hat for the 2023 race to replace outgoing Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who is in his final term.
“Our next mayor will lead Houston at a defining moment in its history. The pandemic changed our world overnight, and we as a city have to deal with that change," Hollins said in a statement. "We can’t go back. I am offering my leadership and experience to propel Houston forward.”
The former Harris County district clerk will face fellow Democrat State Sen. John Whitmire who announced he would run back in November. The list of mayoral candidates is likely to grow.
Hollins made a name for himself when he helped lead the 2020 charge for greater voter access in Harris County.
A record 1.6 million people cast their ballots countywide during the 2020 presidential election. Harris County reported 67% of eligible voters turned out, the highest percentage since 1992.
"When you provide voters with greater access, they're more likely to exercise their right to vote,” Hollins said on election night.
It was the first presidential election where Harris County voters could vote anywhere on Election Day.
Hollins also tripled early voting centers from 46 in 2016 to 122 in 2020. That included 10 drive-thru sites, where about 10% of early votes were cast.
But Texas Republicans weren't having it for future elections.
In 2021, state legislators passed the controversial SB1 bill that shot down drive-thru and 24-hour voting.
Several groups later filed lawsuits to block the bill that GOP supporters said was needed to protect voter integrity.
Hollins' plan to send mail-in ballot applications to 2.4 million registered voters in Harris County also led to court battles.
Hollins is an attorney who had never held public office before he was appointed interim Harris County clerk in 2020.
According to his bio, he is a fourth-generation Houstonian whose father was a Houston police officer for more than 3 decades. Hollins' parents raised three children and took in more than 20 foster kids.
Hollins and his wife Morgan have two children.
“I love this city. When I envision our future, I see the safest major city in America with the strongest local economy," Hollins' statement said. "I see the city in which my children are valued for who they are and what they can contribute, not by the color of their skin, whom they worship, or whom they love. I see the best city in America to live, work, and raise a family. And I see a city that never goes backward. That’s the Houston I know–always forward.”
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