Shelley Sekula-Gibbs
Encyclopedia
Shelley Sekula-Gibbs is a physician
and a former member of the United States House of Representatives
representing from November 13, 2006, until January 3, 2007. She has also served as a City Councilwoman in Houston, Texas
for three terms. She won the Special Election to fill the 22nd Congressional seat on November 7, 2006, for the remaining weeks of the 109th United States Congress
. On the same day, she also lost in the general election for that seat in the 110th United States Congress
. Thereby she was in the interesting position of being a lame duck
the moment she was elected. In the 2008 campaign for the Republican nomination in the 22nd Congressional District, she finished first in the primary
, but lost a runoff on April 8 to Pete Olson
.
in San Antonio, Texas
with summa cum laude
honors and a degree in chemistry. She later earned her Doctor of Medicine
degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch
in Galveston, Texas
, and went on to residencies
at the University of Florida
in family practice
, and Baylor College of Medicine
in Houston, specializing in dermatology
.
Today, Sekula-Gibbs runs a private dermatology practice in the Clear Lake
area of Houston
. In addition to this practice, Sekula-Gibbs also teaches at Ben Taub Hospital
and serves as a clinical assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine
, both in the Texas Medical Center
.
in 2001 as Shelley Sekula-Rodriguez, from her marriage to the late TV newscaster Sylvan Rodriguez
. In 2005 she was re-elected by her present name. Sekula-Gibbs is the first physician to have ever been elected to serve on Houston City Council.
As a member of Houston City Council, Sekula-Gibbs served on the Quality of Life, Budget and Fiscal Affairs, Pension Review, Council Governance, Environment and Public Health, Ethics, and International Liaison and Protocol committees.
Sekula-Gibbs resigned her seat on the Houston city council on November 8, 2006, following her victory in the special election to fill the two month unexpired term of Tom DeLay
. A special election was held to fill her Council seat in May 2007; in runoff voting Democrat Melissa Noriega won the position. (City elections in Houston are officially nonpartisan.)
, who had represented Sekula-Gibbs's area of residence since it was redistricted into DeLay's district (see 2003 Texas redistricting
), decided to retire from Congress instead of face a tough re-election campaign in the following November. After DeLay's announcement, Sekula-Gibbs expressed interest in the position, but waited for DeLay to complete the official withdrawal procedure before filing her papers.
On August 17, 2006, Sekula-Gibbs was selected as the endorsed Republican write-in candidate for District 22. A write-in candidate was necessary because the Republicans were unsuccessful in their efforts to replace DeLay's name on the ballot with another Republican's name. The courts ruled that replacing DeLay's name, especially after winning the state primary, violated Texas election laws. After the court defeat, DeLay chose to remove his name voluntarily from the ballot, essentially leaving the ballot without a Republican standard bearer. The precinct chairpersons voted to endorse one Republican for a write-in campaign. Four Republicans in all — Sekula-Gibbs, Tom Campbell, Tim Turner and David Wallace
, the mayor of the Houston suburb of Sugar Land
— expressed interest in the Republican endorsement of a write-in campaign. Two of Sekula-Gibbs' fellow Republican candidates, Campbell and Turner, decided to support Sekula-Gibbs in the general election immediately after her endorsement. However, Wallace, who was the first to launch a write-in campaign for the seat, decided initially to continue his campaign without the backing of GOP leaders in the district, which would have made election to Congress difficult for Sekula-Gibbs. In the end, Wallace dropped out of the race days after Sekula-Gibbs received the endorsement. Sekula-Gibbs faced Democratic ex-congressman Nick Lampson
and Libertarian Bob Smither
.
The district is heavily Republican in both the eastern portion of the district (where Sekula-Gibbs' base is located) and in the western portion (where Wallace comes from). The main counties in the district, Fort Bend, Galveston and Brazoria voted 61% for Bush and 38.5% for Kerry and the remainder to a third party candidate. The District as a whole, including the sections of Harris
that it covers, voted for Bush in 2004 with 64% of the vote. However, write-in candidates have historically failed to win in Texas, which made victory a challenge for Sekula-Gibbs. The Dallas Morning News noted that on the electronic machines used in District 22, voters would have to spell out any write-in candidate's name by using a wheel to move a cursor through the alphabet. The race was one of the most competitive races in the country according to the National Journal
. Two nonpartisan political reports, the Cook Political Report
and Larry Sabato's
Crystal Ball
, rated the race as Leans Democratic and CQPolitics.com
rated the race Leans Democratic. Smither, the Libertarian candidate, has stated that "a vote for liberal Democrat Nick Lampson will be a vote for Nancy Pelosi
as speaker of the House." Libertarian Ron Paul
, 1988 Libertarian Party candidate for president, was a previous holder of the District 22 seat. Sekula-Gibbs' campaign was seen as a warm-up for the 2008 congressional elections
, since Lampson won the seat.
In October 2006 the Associated Press
reported that "National Republicans were supposed to invest $3 million to $4 million to help Sekula-Gibbs", according to then state Republican chairwoman Tina Benkiser
. She has received just $134,000 from the National Republican Congressional Committee. According to the Washington Times, Libertarian candidate Bob Smither claimed that the Sekula-Gibbs campaign used push polling. On October 30, 2006, Texas Democrats accused Sekula-Gibbs of illegally campaigning within 100 feet of a polling location. In response, Sekula-Gibbs stated that she visited the polling location with the intent to campaign and that she went inside to use the bathroom, not to campaign. In the same article, it was mentioned that her campaign had approximately $163,000 remaining for the election. On November 6, 2006, it was reported that Federal election officials would be monitoring the vote on Election Day in District 22.
On October 30, 2006, a poll was released that was conducted by John Zogby
and paid for by Houston Chronicle
-KHOU-TV
, intended to gauge support for the various candidates in the district race. Sekula-Gibbs received support of 28 percent of respondents, compared to 36 percent support for Lampson, according to the poll of more than 500 likely voters in the 22nd Congressional District.
On November 7, 2006, Sekula-Gibbs lost the general election for the seat to Democrat Nick Lampson, but won the special election to fulfill the remainder of former Representative Tom DeLay's term in the final session of the 109th Congress.
announced on August 29, 2006, that a special election would take place for the unexpired term of Tom DeLay, coinciding with the general election on November 7, 2006. This means that voters chose twice for the same race, but with a different set of candidates (only Libertarian Bob Smither was on both ballots). It set up a scenario in which the constituents of District 22 sent one person to Washington for the last two months of the 109th Congress and a different person to Congress for the two years following. It also means that Sekula-Gibbs was on the ballot for the special election (but not the general election, in which she remained a write-in). Sekula-Gibbs filed for the special election and appeared on the ballot, as did Bob Smither; however, Lampson chose not to file. Sekula-Gibbs was asked if the special election would confuse voters. She replied, "People already know it’s an unusual race." She also stated that having her name on one ballot would serve as "a memory jog."
Sekula-Gibbs won the special election on November 7, 2006.
won the first round with 29.72%--well short of the majority needed to win the nomination outright. She advanced to a runoff in April against runner-up Pete Olson
, a former aide to former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm
. Sekula-Gibbs criticized Olson as "a Washington insider ... [who] moved here just six months ago to run." Nevertheless, 12 of Texas' 19 Republican congressmen endorsed Olson in the primary. Gibbs' campaign manager in the 2008 primary was conservative activist Clymer Wright
, father of the municipal term limits movement in Houston.
Olson won the April 8 runoff in a rout, taking 69 percent of the vote to Sekula-Gibbs' 31 percent.
, where she serves on the Board of Directors.
Sekula-Gibbs supports the transfer of federal tax dollars to Houston via Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
newscaster Sylvan Rodriguez
, who died of pancreatic cancer
in 2000. Before his death, Rodriguez inspired Sekula-Gibbs to run for public office. In June 2002, she married Robert W. Gibbs, Jr., director of corporate community relations at Reliant Energy
.
Sekula-Gibbs is the mother of two adult children.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and a former member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
representing from November 13, 2006, until January 3, 2007. She has also served as a City Councilwoman in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
for three terms. She won the Special Election to fill the 22nd Congressional seat on November 7, 2006, for the remaining weeks of the 109th United States Congress
109th United States Congress
The One Hundred Ninth United States Congress was the legislative branch of the United States, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 2005 to January 3, 2007, during the fifth and sixth years of George W. Bush's presidency. House members...
. On the same day, she also lost in the general election for that seat in the 110th United States Congress
110th United States Congress
The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of...
. Thereby she was in the interesting position of being a lame duck
Lame duck (politics)
A lame duck is an elected official who is approaching the end of his or her tenure, and especially an official whose successor has already been elected.-Description:The status can be due to*having lost a re-election bid...
the moment she was elected. In the 2008 campaign for the Republican nomination in the 22nd Congressional District, she finished first in the primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, but lost a runoff on April 8 to Pete Olson
Pete Olson
Peter Graham "Pete" Olson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes much of southeastern Houston, as well as most of the city's southern suburbs such as Pearland, Sugar Land, and Pasadena.-Early life, education, and military...
.
Medical career
Sekula-Gibbs graduated from Our Lady of the Lake UniversityOur Lady of the Lake University
Our Lady of the Lake University is an independent Catholic, co-ed university located in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence, a religious order originating in Lorraine, France, during the 18th century...
in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
with summa cum laude
Latin honors
Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...
honors and a degree in chemistry. She later earned her Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
in Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, and went on to residencies
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in family practice
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
, and Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
in Houston, specializing in dermatology
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
.
Today, Sekula-Gibbs runs a private dermatology practice in the Clear Lake
Clear Lake City, Houston, Texas
Clear Lake City is a master-planned community located in southeast Harris County, Texas, within the Bay Area of Greater Houston. It is the second-largest master-planned community in Houston — behind Kingwood...
area of Houston
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
. In addition to this practice, Sekula-Gibbs also teaches at Ben Taub Hospital
Ben Taub General Hospital
Ben Taub General Hospital is a hospital located in Houston, Texas within the Texas Medical Center. Opening in May 1963, the hospital is owned and operated by the Harris County Hospital District and is staffed by the faculty, residents, and students from Baylor College of Medicine.Ben Taub is a...
and serves as a clinical assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
, both in the Texas Medical Center
Texas Medical Center
The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care, basic science, and translational research...
.
Houston City Council
Sekula-Gibbs won election to the At Large, Position Three on Houston City CouncilHouston City Council
The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.Currently, there are fourteen members, nine elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every two years, in odd-numbered years...
in 2001 as Shelley Sekula-Rodriguez, from her marriage to the late TV newscaster Sylvan Rodriguez
Sylvan Rodriguez
Sylvan Rodriguez was a television news personality in Texas, United States....
. In 2005 she was re-elected by her present name. Sekula-Gibbs is the first physician to have ever been elected to serve on Houston City Council.
As a member of Houston City Council, Sekula-Gibbs served on the Quality of Life, Budget and Fiscal Affairs, Pension Review, Council Governance, Environment and Public Health, Ethics, and International Liaison and Protocol committees.
Sekula-Gibbs resigned her seat on the Houston city council on November 8, 2006, following her victory in the special election to fill the two month unexpired term of Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
. A special election was held to fill her Council seat in May 2007; in runoff voting Democrat Melissa Noriega won the position. (City elections in Houston are officially nonpartisan.)
2006 Congressional race
Disgraced House Majority Leader Tom DeLayTom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
, who had represented Sekula-Gibbs's area of residence since it was redistricted into DeLay's district (see 2003 Texas redistricting
2003 Texas redistricting
The 2003 Texas redistricting refers to a controversial mid-decade congressional redistricting plan appealed to the United States Supreme Court in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry...
), decided to retire from Congress instead of face a tough re-election campaign in the following November. After DeLay's announcement, Sekula-Gibbs expressed interest in the position, but waited for DeLay to complete the official withdrawal procedure before filing her papers.
On August 17, 2006, Sekula-Gibbs was selected as the endorsed Republican write-in candidate for District 22. A write-in candidate was necessary because the Republicans were unsuccessful in their efforts to replace DeLay's name on the ballot with another Republican's name. The courts ruled that replacing DeLay's name, especially after winning the state primary, violated Texas election laws. After the court defeat, DeLay chose to remove his name voluntarily from the ballot, essentially leaving the ballot without a Republican standard bearer. The precinct chairpersons voted to endorse one Republican for a write-in campaign. Four Republicans in all — Sekula-Gibbs, Tom Campbell, Tim Turner and David Wallace
David G. Wallace
David Gordon Wallace is an American businessman, politician, and author from the state of Texas.- Personal life :David Wallace attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, and later received a scholarship at the University of Reading in England for international studies in Real Estate, Finance...
, the mayor of the Houston suburb of Sugar Land
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
— expressed interest in the Republican endorsement of a write-in campaign. Two of Sekula-Gibbs' fellow Republican candidates, Campbell and Turner, decided to support Sekula-Gibbs in the general election immediately after her endorsement. However, Wallace, who was the first to launch a write-in campaign for the seat, decided initially to continue his campaign without the backing of GOP leaders in the district, which would have made election to Congress difficult for Sekula-Gibbs. In the end, Wallace dropped out of the race days after Sekula-Gibbs received the endorsement. Sekula-Gibbs faced Democratic ex-congressman Nick Lampson
Nick Lampson
Nicholas Valentino 'Nick' Lampson is an American politician from the state of Texas and was a Congressman representing the 22nd Congressional District of Texas. He was defeated by Pete Olson on November 4, 2008 in his re-election bid....
and Libertarian Bob Smither
Bob Smither
Bob Smither was the Libertarian Party nominee for the 2006 special election in Texas's 22nd congressional district.-Biography:...
.
The district is heavily Republican in both the eastern portion of the district (where Sekula-Gibbs' base is located) and in the western portion (where Wallace comes from). The main counties in the district, Fort Bend, Galveston and Brazoria voted 61% for Bush and 38.5% for Kerry and the remainder to a third party candidate. The District as a whole, including the sections of Harris
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
that it covers, voted for Bush in 2004 with 64% of the vote. However, write-in candidates have historically failed to win in Texas, which made victory a challenge for Sekula-Gibbs. The Dallas Morning News noted that on the electronic machines used in District 22, voters would have to spell out any write-in candidate's name by using a wheel to move a cursor through the alphabet. The race was one of the most competitive races in the country according to the National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
. Two nonpartisan political reports, the Cook Political Report
Cook Political Report
The Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, Governor's offices and the American Presidency. The Cook Political Report is led by a staff of five...
and Larry Sabato's
Larry Sabato
Larry Joseph Sabato is an American political scientist and analyst. He is the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, and director of its Center for Politics. He founded Sabato's Crystal Ball, an online newsletter and website that provides free political analysis and...
Crystal Ball
Sabato's Crystal Ball
Sabato’s Crystal Ball is a free, nonpartisan weekly online newsletter and comprehensive website in the United States that analyzes the current American political scene and predicts electoral outcomes for U.S House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, governors, and U.S. president races...
, rated the race as Leans Democratic and CQPolitics.com
Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
rated the race Leans Democratic. Smither, the Libertarian candidate, has stated that "a vote for liberal Democrat Nick Lampson will be a vote for Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
as speaker of the House." Libertarian Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
, 1988 Libertarian Party candidate for president, was a previous holder of the District 22 seat. Sekula-Gibbs' campaign was seen as a warm-up for the 2008 congressional elections
United States House elections, 2008
Infobox Election| election_name = United States House of Representatives elections, 2008| country = United States| type = legislative| ongoing = no...
, since Lampson won the seat.
In October 2006 the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that "National Republicans were supposed to invest $3 million to $4 million to help Sekula-Gibbs", according to then state Republican chairwoman Tina Benkiser
Tina Benkiser
Tina Renee Johns Benkiser is a Houston attorney who served as chairman of the Republican Party of Texas from 2003 to 2009. She became chairman on the resignation of Susan Weddington....
. She has received just $134,000 from the National Republican Congressional Committee. According to the Washington Times, Libertarian candidate Bob Smither claimed that the Sekula-Gibbs campaign used push polling. On October 30, 2006, Texas Democrats accused Sekula-Gibbs of illegally campaigning within 100 feet of a polling location. In response, Sekula-Gibbs stated that she visited the polling location with the intent to campaign and that she went inside to use the bathroom, not to campaign. In the same article, it was mentioned that her campaign had approximately $163,000 remaining for the election. On November 6, 2006, it was reported that Federal election officials would be monitoring the vote on Election Day in District 22.
On October 30, 2006, a poll was released that was conducted by John Zogby
John Zogby
John Zogby is an American political pollster and first senior fellow at The Catholic University of America's Life Cycle Institute. He is the founder, president and CEO of Zogby International, a polling firm known for both phone polling and interactive, Internet-based polling.-Early years:Zogby...
and paid for by Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
-KHOU-TV
KHOU-TV
KHOU is the CBS affiliate television station in Houston, Texas. Serving Greater Houston, it is owned by the Belo Corporation and broadcasts on digital and PSIP channel 11...
, intended to gauge support for the various candidates in the district race. Sekula-Gibbs received support of 28 percent of respondents, compared to 36 percent support for Lampson, according to the poll of more than 500 likely voters in the 22nd Congressional District.
On November 7, 2006, Sekula-Gibbs lost the general election for the seat to Democrat Nick Lampson, but won the special election to fulfill the remainder of former Representative Tom DeLay's term in the final session of the 109th Congress.
Special election
Texas Governor Rick PerryRick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
announced on August 29, 2006, that a special election would take place for the unexpired term of Tom DeLay, coinciding with the general election on November 7, 2006. This means that voters chose twice for the same race, but with a different set of candidates (only Libertarian Bob Smither was on both ballots). It set up a scenario in which the constituents of District 22 sent one person to Washington for the last two months of the 109th Congress and a different person to Congress for the two years following. It also means that Sekula-Gibbs was on the ballot for the special election (but not the general election, in which she remained a write-in). Sekula-Gibbs filed for the special election and appeared on the ballot, as did Bob Smither; however, Lampson chose not to file. Sekula-Gibbs was asked if the special election would confuse voters. She replied, "People already know it’s an unusual race." She also stated that having her name on one ballot would serve as "a memory jog."
Sekula-Gibbs won the special election on November 7, 2006.
Congressional term
On November 13, Sekula-Gibbs was sworn in for the vacant seat. She said she would use her brief time in Congress, "For tax cuts. For immigration reform. To make sure we have a good solution for the war in Iraq." Her term expired on January 3, 2007, when Nick Lampson was sworn in to represent the district. She only served for a total of 7 weeks of which only 2 weeks Congress was in session. The Houston Chronicle noted that instead of fulfilling her ambitious promises, she logged an inordinate amount of time in front of C-SPAN cameras.2008 Congressional race
Sekula-Gibbs ran again for the Congressional seat in 2008. Shewon the first round with 29.72%--well short of the majority needed to win the nomination outright. She advanced to a runoff in April against runner-up Pete Olson
Pete Olson
Peter Graham "Pete" Olson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes much of southeastern Houston, as well as most of the city's southern suburbs such as Pearland, Sugar Land, and Pasadena.-Early life, education, and military...
, a former aide to former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm
Phil Gramm
William Philip "Phil" Gramm is an American economist and politician, who has served as a Democratic Congressman , a Republican Congressman and a Republican Senator from Texas...
. Sekula-Gibbs criticized Olson as "a Washington insider ... [who] moved here just six months ago to run." Nevertheless, 12 of Texas' 19 Republican congressmen endorsed Olson in the primary. Gibbs' campaign manager in the 2008 primary was conservative activist Clymer Wright
Clymer Wright
Clymer Lewis Wright. Jr. , was a Texas conservative political activist and a crusading journalist later credited with bringing term limits to Houston municipal government and encouraging Ronald W...
, father of the municipal term limits movement in Houston.
Olson won the April 8 runoff in a rout, taking 69 percent of the vote to Sekula-Gibbs' 31 percent.
Healthcare
Sekula-Gibbs serves on the Greater Houston Partnership as a member of the Health Care Advisory Committee and as a member of the Houston Galveston Area Council Emergency/Trauma Care Policy Council. She is also a part of the Friends of the Texas Medical Center LibraryTexas Medical Center
The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care, basic science, and translational research...
, where she serves on the Board of Directors.
Sekula-Gibbs supports the transfer of federal tax dollars to Houston via Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
Personal
Sekula-Gibbs has been married three times. The first time to Alan Greenberg, the second time to KHOU-TVKHOU-TV
KHOU is the CBS affiliate television station in Houston, Texas. Serving Greater Houston, it is owned by the Belo Corporation and broadcasts on digital and PSIP channel 11...
newscaster Sylvan Rodriguez
Sylvan Rodriguez
Sylvan Rodriguez was a television news personality in Texas, United States....
, who died of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
in 2000. Before his death, Rodriguez inspired Sekula-Gibbs to run for public office. In June 2002, she married Robert W. Gibbs, Jr., director of corporate community relations at Reliant Energy
Reliant Energy
RRI Energy, Inc. , based in Houston, Texas, United States, was an energy company that provided electricity to wholesale customers in the United States. The company was one of the largest independent power producers in the nation with more than 14,000 megawatts of power generation capacity across...
.
Sekula-Gibbs is the mother of two adult children.