Houston Democrats Menefee and Edwards Head to February Runoff
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The race to replace the late Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner in Texas’ 18th Congressional District has concluded with a runoff election between Democrats Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards.
The congressional seat, which covers some of the most densely populated parts of Houston, has been vacant since Turner’s sudden death on March 5.
The race, which is a Democratic stronghold, featured 16 candidates, including seven Democrats, five Republicans, three independents and one Green Party candidate.
Menefee, an attorney and Houston city council member, received 32% of the vote late Tuesday night, while Edwards, who now serves as a Harris County attorney, received 26%. Since neither candidate received 50% of the vote to win the seat, they will have to face each other again in the runoff elections in February.
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The congressional seat, which covers some of the most densely populated parts of Houston, has been vacant since the sudden death of Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner on March 5. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Due to the passage of Texas’ redistricting bill mid-decade, the district will be divided into districts 9, 29 and 18. However, this change will not occur until March and will not affect the runoff elections.
Although both candidates are vocal critics of President Donald Trump, Menefee was endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus Political Action Committee. He was praised by the likes of Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Greg Casar, D-Texas, and Maxwell Frost, D-Fla.
In a joint statement, the trio called Menefee a “proven warrior” against “Republican overreach” and the administration of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney Ken Paxton and the Trump administration.
“As the youngest person and first African-American to serve as chief counsel in Texas’ largest county, Christian Menefee has a proven track record of standing up to Republican extremism and delivering results for working families,” all three said in the statement. “He has won multimillion-dollar settlements holding companies accountable for emissions deception and misleading marketing, and protected communities by fighting polluters and discriminatory landfill expansion. He took on Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, and the Trump administration. Christian is the proven warrior Texas’ 18th district needs. We are proud to support his campaign.”
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Harris County Prosecutor Christian Menefee has been endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus Political Action Committee. (Harris County Prosecutor’s Office official website)
Menefee also boasted in campaign ads about being called a “radical lawyer” by the Trump White House.
Meanwhile, Edwards is also supported by groups such as Emily’s List and Elect Democratic Women.
Edwards’ campaign website emphasizes creating a healthier, safer and more equitable 18th District.
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Houston, Texas, at dusk. (Reuters/Richard Carson)
“Under President Trump’s leadership, our country has seen devastating attacks on our democracy, divisive rhetoric that weakens communities, and policies that harm the middle class and working families.”
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Turner died at the age of 70 after serving only a few months in Congress. He also served as mayor of Houston for eight years, from 2016 to 2024. He succeeds the late Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, who died in office in 2024 after serving in Congress for 29 years.
