The Houston Mayoral Election of 1991 took place on November 5, 1991. The race was officially non-partisan. Bob Lanier defeated five term incumbent mayor Kathy Whitmire. A run-off election was held on December 7, 1991.
Most white voters of all economic levels voted for Lanier. His strongest tallies came from affluent neighborhoods like River Oaks, Meyerland, Uptown, Memorial and Sharpstown; in those areas he won with 60 to 65 percent or more of the vote. Lanier won 75 percent of the votes in his home Houston precinct. In racially mixed areas such as Westbury and Alief, Lanier had the majority of votes with his main opponent, Sylvester Turner, having finished in a close second place. Lanier did not win in Montrose and many African-American neighborhoods.[1][2]
Candidates[]
Incumbent MayorKathy Whitmire
Businessman and real estate developer Bob Lanier
State Representative Sylvester Turner
Results[]
Houston mayoral election, 1991
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
None
Bob Lanier
138,096
44%
None
Sylvester Turner
113,782
36%
None
Kathy Whitmire (incumbent)
63,613
20%
Houston mayoral election, 1991 Run-off
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
None
Bob Lanier
152,792
53%
None
Sylvester Turner
135,173
47%
Turner would later campaign in 2003 but took third place. He won the mayoral runoff on December 12, 2015.