Democrat congressman dies suddenly after Trump address

A Democratic congressman from Texas died suddenly Tuesday night shortly after attending President Donald Trump's address.

A few weeks ago, Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) was sworn in to represent Texas District 18 in the U.S. Congress. He had just been elected in November following the death of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), who held that seat for nearly 30 years.

Like many of his colleagues in Washington, D.C., Turner attended Trump's address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. He even brought along Angela Hernandez, the mother of a child with special needs, as his guest.

Earlier in the day, Turner and Hernandez had filmed a short video about Trump's impending speech. Turner then shared the video on social media.

"My message to the current administration for tonight’s State of the Union: 'Don’t mess with Medicaid,'" his post read in part.

At some point during the evening, however, Turner began to not feel well. Though he spoke to KIAH on camera, the outlet reported, he was soon afterward taken to an area hospital, where he passed away. He was 70 years old.

Turner 'never forgot where he came from.'

Turner had some significant health challenges in recent years. In 2022, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer that had affected his jaw, KIAH reported. He then underwent surgery and endured weeks of radiation.

In the video with Hernandez, Turner does seem to have some difficulty speaking, though whether his struggles resulted from pain or previous medical treatment is unclear. His cause of death is likewise currently unclear.

Though Turner spent only a few weeks in the hallowed halls of the U.S. Congress, he had a long political career, stemming all the way back to 1988, when he was first elected to the Texas state House.

In 2016, after 25 years as a state representative, Turner successfully ran to be mayor of Houston, the city where he was born. He completed his second term as mayor in January 2024.

His successor, Mayor John Whitmire (D), issued a statement upon Turner's death, calling it "a terrible loss for the city." Whitmire also praised the late congressman for pulling himself out of poverty to become a "remarkable public servant who impacted millions of people."

Turner "never forgot where he came from," Whitmire stated with admiration.

KIAH claimed Turner had "a strong background in public service and community advocacy," but by all accounts, he governed from the far-left. In 2015, he was one of about a dozen Texas state representatives given an "A+" rating by Equality Texas, an LGBT activist group. Turner also strongly advocated for abortion and repeatedly voted against measures that would have restricted it in Texas.

During Trump's first term, then-Mayor Turner pledged that law enforcement in Houston would not assist ICE with any raids. "I can't quite see the upside," he said in 2019.

Turner was once married to Cheryl Turner, a former Houston-area assistant district attorney who pled guilty to misapplication of fiduciary funds in 2006. However, by the time of her conviction, the couple had already been divorced for 15 years.

Turner is survived by their daughter, Ashley Turner Captain.

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