Despite her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee intends to continue her reelection bid, a spokesperson said Monday.
The 15-term member of Congress announced the diagnosis in a statement Sunday, warning constituents she may “occasionally be absent from Congress” but promising disruption would be limited.
The statement contained no indication she plans to step down or speak to her reelection bid.
Jackson Lee has served Congressional District 18 since 1995, tying her with Austin Democrat Lloyd Doggett as the longest-serving current member of congress from Texas.
The statement did not say what stage Jackson Lee’s pancreatic cancer was, but she said she would continue her work in Washington, D.C., around her treatment.
“I am confident that my doctors have developed the best possible plan to target my specific disease,” Jackson Lee wrote. “The road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me.”
Congressional District 18 includes part of central Houston, as well as much of northwest and northeast Harris County. The district is heavily Democratic, reelecting Jackson Lee without a serious Republican challenge for any of her 15 general elections.
After a failed bid for mayor last fall, Jackson Lee faced a rare primary challenge by former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards. Jackson Lee bested Edwards by roughly 27 percentage points.
The Democratic chief deputy whip in the House of Representatives, Jackson Lee has served in multiple leadership positions throughout her time in Congress. She is known as an outspoken advocate for liberal social justice issues, including police reform, and authored the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2022.
She has received an outpouring of support locally and nationally since announcing her latest battle with cancer.
Jackson Lee was diagnosed with and recovered from breast cancer in 2012.
Ballot procedure
If Jackson Lee steps down before her term ends at the beginning of 2025, the U.S. Constitution allows Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special election to select a successor for the remainder of her term. If Abbott were to call for an emergency special election, it would need to be held at least 36 days after he called for it.
Jackson Lee secured the Democratic nomination for Congressional District 18 in March by defeating Edwards. She now faces Republican Lana Centonze, a former federal law enforcement officer, in the Nov. 5 general election for a new two-year term.
Jackson Lee could withdraw from the race. That decision must be made no later than Aug. 22 – 75 days before the election – to allow her to be replaced with a new Democratic nominee. If that happens, the Democratic National Committee can choose a new nominee for the election.
That procedure requires a diagnosis of a “catastrophic illness” after last year’s Dec. 11 filing deadline to appear on the March Democratic Primary ballot. Jackson Lee’s statement did not say when she received her diagnosis.
Pancreatic cancer affects the pancreas, a gland in the abdomen — located between the stomach and the spine — that regulates blood-sugar levels and aids with digestion, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The cancer occurs when cells in the pancreas mutate and replicate out of control, forming a tumor.
Pancreatic cancer is responsible for about 3 percent of all cancers in the United States and is the eighth most common cancer among women, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The disease typically is not diagnosed until it reaches later stages, after it has spread to other organs.
The cancer is notorious for being difficult to diagnose in early stages because it is difficult to spot on routine imaging scans when it is still confined to the pancreas, and the organ is located in a place of the body where doctors can not feel a tumor during a physical exam, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The five-year survival rate for people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the U.S. is 13 percent, according to the American Cancer Society.
Congressional colleagues
Jackson Lee is not the only member of Congress with a cancer diagnosis.
Doctors in Spain found gastrointestinal tumors in the small intestine of U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, in 2022, after he went to the hospital following a car accident. Castro had surgery in early 2023 to remove part of his small intestine, part of his colon, 44 lymph nodes, his appendix and his gallbladder.
Castro still is serving in the House of Representatives while he undergoes further treatment.
U.S. Sen. Amy Kloubachar, D-Minnesota, announced in 2021 she has breast cancer, U.S. Rep. Raúl Grjalva, D-Arizona, announced an undisclosed form of cancer this spring and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, announced in August that he has multiple myeloma, among others.
All have continued serving in Congress.
In her statement, Jackson Lee said “it is likely I will occasionally be absent from Congress.” She said she plans to work with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to be present for votes on critical legislation.
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