Houston Mayoral runoff: Sylvester Turner devours Tony Buzbee to reclaim incumbency

Mayor Sylvester Turner thanks his supporters and talks about his plan for the next four years during his runoff election night watch party on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, in Houston.

Anthony Obi Ogbo | International Guardian Houston, TX

Houston’s Mayor, Sylvester Turner last night, redeemed his tenure in a voting runoff when he smashed his rival Tony Buzbee to end a contentious electioneering moment. According to results released by the Harris County Clerk’s Office, Mayor Turner cleared the polls with a 56.04% of the votes, leaving his rival gasping with an insufficient 43.96%. 

Mr. Buzbee who equally addressed his supporters has not conceded as of press time.

From the start of the campaign till the Election Day, polls have consistently favored Mayor Turner over a lineup of challengers, but Mr. Buzbee’s overzealous rivalry infiltrated the voting populace with division and resentment.  His campaign had choreographed  a thread of sensational publication teasers, stories, media Ads, and destructive memes, accusing Mayor Turner of  unethically hiring a 31-year-resident in an airport’s Executive Internship Program.  

Mr. Buzzbee aided by a clique of media reporters amplified these claims, calling for a full investigation of Mayor Turner. He also took advantage of a pending issue between the City and Fire Fighters, accusing the incumbent of gross neglect of the police, firefighters, and flood victims. 

Mayor Turner countered with ads showing Mr. Buzzbee’s DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) mug shots and depicting his rival as ethically unfit. Though Mr. Buzzbee’s drunken-driving was dismissed, the Turner Campaign launched corruption allegations, airing television ads accusing the millionaire lawyer of donating to  the district attorney’s campaign in exchange for dismissal of his drunken-driving case.

Even as the Houston firefighter union voted unanimously to endorse Mr.  Buzbee in this runoff, his campaign struggled feverishly to defend a string of clueless actions and proposals. For instance, Mr. Buzbee’s contribution of almost $10 million to his campaign; his association with Donald Trump; and his political romance with Houston’s most outspoken anti-gay activist Dr. Steven Hotze were very extreme values inconsistent with Houston’s diverse populace.

To make matters worse, Mr. Buzbee’s vowed to fire a highly rated Police Chief, Hubert “Art” Acevedo and replace him with someone focused on “increasing more patrols instead of political grandstanding.” This was after Acevedo called out federal lawmakers over lackadaisical gun culture. This was where this contender dug his grave.

As of press time, Houston Mayoral runoff has been fought and won, with Mayor Turner tearing Mr. Buzbee apart to reclaim his tenure. He has been Houston Mayor since 2016 after he defeated King in a runoff election in 2015.  By late Saturday evening, Mayor Turner had already given a victory speech promising to represent every Houstonian as usual, irrespective of any affiliation. Mr. Buzbee who equally addressed his supporters has not conceded as of press time.

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