The congresswoman who has represented Houston's 18th District has lost the respect of her fellow lawmakers, said one of two candidates challenging U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the March 2 Democratic primary.
"It's difficult to get things done in a place like Congress when you're repeatedly voted one of the worst people to work with," said Sean Roberts, an attorney who is challenging Jackson Lee in his first run for public office.
Roberts, 38, spoke Saturday during debates for the 18th Congressional District and the 146th state legislative district held at the SHAPE Center in Midtown and sponsored by the Harris County Council of Organizations.
Jackson Lee, who visited Haiti Friday as part of a delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., arrived late to the event and did not hear Roberts' comments.
The 60-year-old congresswoman is facing her first serious Democratic primary challenge since being elected in 1994.
After the debate Jackson Lee said: "I'm saddened by the misinformation by those who were seeking to run for public office. (Roberts') statement has no credibility at all."
She emphasized that she holds a number of leadership roles in Washington.
Her other challenger, Houston City Council Member Jarvis Johnson, emphasized his roots in the community and his work with an after-school program for at-risk children.
Johnson, also 38, called for more jobs, development and educational opportunities in the district. He represents District B on the City Council, which is partially in the 18th Congressional District.
"We want to make sure that we open up the door of opportunity for the residents of the 18th District," he said.
Jackson Lee, who arrived about 15 minutes after the debate began, told the standing-room-only audience of about 100, that she had helped bring some $5 billion in federal funding to the district in her 16 years in Congress, and that she had emphasized criminal justice, health care and children's issues. 
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