February 1, 2026 Story by: Publisher
Christian Menefee has emerged victorious in the special election runoff to fill the long-vacant U.S. House seat for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, defeating fellow Democrat Amanda Edwards and securing the remainder of the late Sylvester Turner’s term.
Menefee, the former Harris County attorney, outpaced Edwards by a decisive margin in Saturday’s runoff in one of Texas’ most Democratic districts, according to The Texas Tribune. The contest capped an 11-month period without representation for Houston voters after Turner’s death in March 2025.
Black Americans make up 31.5% of Texas’ 18th Congressional District with about 243,000 individuals. In 2023, there were 1.92 times more Black American residents in the Texas 18th Congressional District, than any other race or ethnicity.
The Associated Press called the race for Menefee as he led with 67% of the vote from early returns and half of Election Day voting centers.
Menefee received about 68.4% of the vote compared to 31.6% for Edwards, according to results released Saturday night by the Harris County Clerk’s Office. Menefee widened his lead from the early voting period, when more than 13,600 votes were cast. Another 10,000 votes were cast on Election Day.
Menefee, 37, served as Harris County Attorney from 2021 to 2025. He received endorsements from much of Houston’s political class and popular Texas Democrats like Rep. Jasmine Crockett and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke. Menefee was also backed by Erica Lee Carter, the daughter of the district’s longtime representative, Sheila Jackson Lee, who died in 2024.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, both Democrats, were the top two finishers in the November 4 special election, running ahead of the 16-candidate field but both falling well short of the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff.
Menefee finished first with 28.9% of the vote, with Edwards in a close second at 25.6%.
Both Menefee, 37, and Edwards, 44, are participating in the March primary for a newly refashioned 18th Congressional District, going up against Rep. Al Green, 78. That winner will be heavily favored to win a full two-year term in November.
The election puts House Democrats at 214 seats to Republicans’ 218.
Rep-elect Menefee is expected to be sworn into the US House on Monday pending final certification.
Election
In a crowded special election held for the U.S. House seat representing Texas’ 18th Congressional District (TX-18), two Houston-area officials emerged as the top vote-getters — ushering the contest into a runoff. The seat has been unoccupied since March 2025 following the death of former U.S. Representative Sylvester Turner.
The TX-18 seat became vacant on March 5, 2025 when Sylvester Turner passed away. He had only recently taken office after serving as mayor of Houston.
The district — a deep-urban Houston area with a long history of sending Black elected officials to Congress — covers parts of northeast, central and northwest Houston and has been reliably aligned with progressive politics.
Both candidates are from Houston and bring different strengths: Menefee with a legal background, Edwards with legislative and city government experience.
A long-awaited return to representation
Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to delay the election until November drew criticism from Democrats, who argue that the delay left the district without representation for an extended period and may benefit the Republican majority in Congress.
Governor Abbott announced the November election date for April, citing the need for Harris County to have sufficient time to prepare for a fair and secure election. He pointed to past issues in the county’s election administration, including long lines and ballot shortages, as reasons for the delay.
However, critics argue that the delay is politically motivated, aiming to maintain the Republican Party’s slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, a candidate for the 18th District seat, has threatened legal action against the governor, stating, “Nearly 800,000 Houstonians are without a voice in Congress. Abbott has called emergency elections before—he just doesn’t want to do it here.”
In April 2025, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., threatened a lawsuit against Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for holding off on calling a special election to fill a vacant House seat in Houston, which Democrats allege was a deliberate move designed to help pad the GOP’s razor-thin majority.
In a response to a question from NBC News, Jeffries said it’s “very likely” that Democrats will pursue litigation against Abbott, who has yet to set a date for an election to replace Rep. Sylvester Turner.
Asked whether he thought Abbott was deliberately delaying the special election in Texas’ solidly Democratic 18th District, Jeffries said, “Yes.”
Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott’s press secretary, said in a statement: “An announcement on a special election will be made at a later date.”
Christian Menefee, the Harris County attorney and Democrat who plans to run for the seat, has also said he would sue Abbott if he didn’t call a special election soon.
After Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who previously represented Turner’s seat, died in July 2024, Abbott issued a call for a special election two weeks later. Turner didn’t run in that special election; he won the regular election that fall for the seat and served in Congress for a few months before he died.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also criticized the postponement, threatening to sue Governor Abbott for delaying the special election.
With the runoff win, Menefee will occupy the seat Turner held until his passing — a departure that left the district without a voice in Congress through most of 2025. Governor Greg Abbott had set the initial special election for November after Turner’s death, a scheduling decision that drew criticism from Democrats who argued the delay deprived constituents of timely representation.
In the earlier all-candidate special election, neither Menefee nor Edwards secured a majority amid a crowded field, prompting the head-to-head runoff that settled the outcome this weekend. What Menefee’s victory means
Menefee’s win not only restores representation to one of Texas’ major urban districts but also has broader implications for the balance of power in the U.S. House. His seating will slightly narrow the Republican majority, tightening the margin in an often sharply divided chamber.
At his election night event, Menefee pledged to champion issues central to the district’s voters, including expanded healthcare access and federal support for working families — positions he emphasized throughout the runoff campaign.
Barbara Jordan represented Texas’ 18th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979, becoming the first Black congresswoman from the South.
Looking ahead
Although Menefee will serve out Turner’s term through January 2027, the political calendar turns quickly: both he and Edwards are poised to contest the March 3 Democratic primary for the full two-year term under a newly drawn district map. The redistricting process has reshaped the political landscape, setting the stage for a competitive intraparty battle.
The 18th District, anchored in inner-city Houston, has long been a Democratic stronghold. Menefee’s win reaffirms that legacy while ushering in a new chapter for the district’s representation on Capitol Hill.
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