Former president Bill Clinton cheered on his friend, Texas congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, as she battles pancreatic cancer.
In a post on X, Clinton said that Jackson Lee is "doing well" a month after she shared her diagnosis with the public.
“Just spoke with my friend Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee as she battles pancreatic cancer,” Clinton wrote.
“She’s doing well and remains the fighter we all know her to be, facing this challenge with incredible strength and determination. Join me in cheering her on and keeping her in our thoughts. Stay strong, Sheila!” he continued.
The congresswoman thanked Clinton for the kind words, writing, "Thank you again, Mr. President! I am not deterred one bit; the fight continues!"
Just spoke with my friend Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee as she battles pancreatic cancer. She’s doing well and remains the fighter we all know her to be, facing this challenge with incredible strength and determination. Join me in cheering her on and keeping her in our…
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) June 30, 2024
Jackson Lee announced in June that she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and would be forced to "occasionally" miss work in Washington as she undergoes treatment.
“I am confident that my doctors have developed the best possible plan to target my specific disease,” she added. “The road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me.”
Elected to Congress in 1994, Jackson Lee has acquired a reputation as a sometimes difficult and demanding lawmaker.
Her unsuccessful run to be mayor of Houston, which ended in defeat last year, was clouded by a leaked recording of Jackson Lee berating her staff in profane language.
“I want you to have a (expletive) brain. I want you to have read it. I want you to say, ’Congresswoman, it was such and such date. That’s what I want. That’s the kind of staff that I want to have," she said on the recording.
President Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton both endorsed Jackson Lee at the time, but she ended up losing to Democratic state senator John Whitmire.
Jackson Lee then sought re-election to Congress, winning a primary in March. She is expected to easily win another term this November in her deep blue district, which covers much of inner city Houston.
