For Congress

Republicans should back Culberson, while Democrats’ obvious choice is Jackson Lee.

Republican For the 7th Congressional District: John Culberson

We don't want to imagine what would have happened after Hurricane Harvey without U.S. Rep. John Culberson in Congress.

In Harvey's wake, cities from Port Aransas to Houston waited for the Trump administration to release its proposed disaster recovery bill, which mayors, county judges and families of all stripes hoped would provide the robust federal support.

We didn't get it. Instead, the White House released a pathetic $44 billion proposal that attracted criticism even from fellow Republicans.

Luckily for Houston, Donald Trump doesn't decide how federal dollars are spent. That duty falls on Congress and, specifically, the Senate and House Appropriations Committees — which includes Culberson.

The west Houston representative worked with his Republican and Democratic colleagues to double the size of the hurricane recovery proposal, turning a failure of a bill into a passable piece of legislation.

The bill wasn't perfect, but it was better than the alternative.

The six-term congressman hasn't always played nice with local officials, here and across the country. He has a history of meddling with Metro and tried to cut off U.S. Department of Justice grants to the entire state of California.

If you ignore the most recent term, Culberson's accomplishments for the 7th Congressional District, which covers west Houston neighborhoods from West University through the Energy Corridor, seem pretty thin .Right now Culberson is being challenged by Edward Ziegler, a 67-year-old political novice and attorney with experience in the oil and gas industry. He told the editorial board that he's running because Culberson should have focused more on flood prevention rather than flood recovery.

We don't disagree. But after years of lamenting that Culberson cared more about tea party antics than Houston and Harris County, he finally stepped up and fought for the home team. That earns our primary-season endorsement.

Democrat For the 18th Congressional District: Sheila Jackson Lee

Sheila Jackson Lee is so deeply entrenched in her congressional seat, knocking her off her throne is pretty close to mission impossible.

She won her post 24 years ago after downtown power brokers — notably Enron CEO Ken Lay — abandoned then-congressman Craig Washington over his opposition to NAFTA and the space station. Since then Jackson Lee has become legendary for her aggressive selfpromotion, whether it's speaking at Michael Jackson's funeral or planting herself on the aisle before State of the Union speeches to get her picture on television shaking the president's hand.

But even Democratic politicos who joke about her insatiable appetite for camera time have come to respect Jackson Lee as a hardworking voice for progressive causes. With almost a quartercentury of seniority, she now serves on the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Budget committees.

The 18th Congressional District, gerrymandered by GOP mapmakers to pack as many Democrats as possible into its boundaries, stretches from Sunnyside to the Heights to Acres Homes and Greenspoint. So if anybody's ever going to beat Jackson Lee, it would almost certainly have to be another Democrat running against her in a primary. That's the role assumed in this election cycle by Richard Johnson, 57, an education administrator who has worked on the staffs of elected officials in the Texas Legislature and Houston city council.

Jackson Lee, 68, has her liabilities. Most notably, her brusque management style has earned her a reputation as one of the worst bosses on Capitol Hill.

But Johnson offers no compelling reason for Democratic primary voters to choose him over Jackson Lee.