Former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards and Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee won’t get a holiday break from the campaign trail.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that a runoff election to fill the late U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner’s unexpired term in Congressional District 18 will be held on January 31.
Menefee earned 21,979 votes, or 28.89 percent, in the November 4 election, and Edwards got 19,440 votes, or 25.55 percent. In order to win outright, one candidate must get more than 50 percent of the vote. In a crowded race with 16 candidates, a runoff was expected.
Both top vote-getters are Black attorneys who ran as Democrats. Both have speculated that Abbott wasn’t in a hurry to fill the District 18 seat because it would add a blue vote in Congress, and President Donald Trump has been desperately trying to maintain his Republican majority.
Democrats Amanda Edwards and Christian Menefee will face off in a January 31 runoff election for Congressional District 18. Credit: Screenshots
Immediately after the November 4 election, both candidates urged Abbott to call the runoff promptly to avoid voter confusion and further delay.
“For far too long, the people of Texas’ 18th Congressional District have paid taxes, faced rising costs and watched Congress make critical decisions, all without anyone fighting for them in Washington,” Edwards said in a November 10 statement. “That’s unacceptable. I’m calling on the governor to stop playing political games with this seat and to finally place people over politics by scheduling this special election runoff.”
Despite the Republican-led redistricting effort that was approved by the Texas Legislature over the summer, voters who cast ballots in the 2024 Congressional District 18 Race when Turner was elected were able to do so in the November 4 election and can also vote in the runoff.
“This district is known for having a powerful voice, and right now that voice matters more than ever,” Menefee said recently when asked about the confusion among CD 18 residents. “Republican leaders are doing everything they can to dilute the voting power of the people, from changing maps to making it more confusing to vote, all in an effort to silence our communities.”
“But every single vote cast in this election pushes back against that,” he added. “Every single vote says we’re still here, we’re still fighting, and we’re ready to stand up for democracy.”
The winner of the runoff will serve until Turner’s term expires at the end of 2026. Another election will be held next year for a full two-year term, and longtime Congressman Al Green, who was redistricted out of his District 9 seat, has filed to run in 2026.
As predicted, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards are headed to a runoff in the U.S. Congressional District 18 race to fill the unexpired term of the late Sylvester Turner.
None of the 16 candidates garnered more than 50 percent of the vote, which forces the top two hopefuls to face off again early next year. The district has been without representation since Turner died in March. The late Sheila Jackson Lee represented District 18 for almost three decades and died last year.
With all 600 precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, the following results were reported by the Harris County Clerk’s Office:
Christian Dashaun Menefee, D: 21,979 votes (28.89 percent)
Amanda Edwards, D: 19,440 votes (25.55 percent)
Jolanda Jones, D: 14,524 votes (19.09 percent)
Carmen Maria Montiel, R: 5,107 votes (6.71 percent)
Isaiah R. Martin, D: 4,336 votes (5.70 percent)
Ollie J. Knox, R: 3,130 votes (4.11 percent)
Stephen Huey, D: 1,414 votes (1.86 percent)
Ronald Dwayne Whitfield, R: 1,174 votes (1.54 percent)
Carter Page, R: 943 votes (1.24 percent)
Theodis Daniel, R: 937 votes (1.23 percent)
Valencia Williams, D: 915 votes (1.2 percent)
George Edward Foreman IV, ND: 827 votes (1.09 percent)
Feldon Bonner II, D: 553 votes (0.73 percent)
Vince Duncan, ND: 407 votes (0.53 percent)
Reyna Anderson, ND: 263 votes (0.35 percent)
Tammie Jean Rochester, GRN: 135 votes (0.18 percent)
Menefee issued a statement Tuesday evening saying his campaign was “powered by community and by people who believe in fighting for something bigger than themselves.”
“Tonight’s results show what we already knew: when you fight for the people of Houston, they fight for you,” he said. “For months, as this seat sat vacant, I heard from voters who were ready for someone willing to take on Donald Trump and the far right — not just talk about change, but deliver real results. I’m proud that we’ve earned the trust and support of so many voters.”
Amanda Edwards greets voters at the Acres Homes Multi-Service Center on Tuesday morning. Credit: April Towery
Edwards said on Wednesday morning that she’s ready for the runoff.
“I’m deeply grateful to the people of the 18th Congressional District who have supported me and know that victory is right around the corner for our community,” she said in a statement. “We are entering this runoff neck and neck with the community behind us. By no means am I the establishment candidate in this race; I am the people’s candidate, and my track record for delivering results for the people will help propel me forward in this runoff.”
Menefee and Edwards filed shortly after Turner’s death and have been frontrunners throughout the race. Former Jackson Lee staffer Isaiah Martin proved to be a strong fundraiser, putting up about $1 million. Edwards raised $1.2 million and Menefee had $1.5 million in his coffers.
“I got involved in this race because I was really frustrated with the system,” Martin said in a social media video Tuesday night. “I felt as if we needed to fight back a lot harder in Congress and D.C., and I really wanted to be that person. Although it’s not going to be me on the House floor, I’m … still going to be working to defeat this failed President in D.C., because ultimately we know he’s destroying everything we’ve got.”
Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones, D-Houston, filed almost three months after the others, saying she had to stay committed to the constituents of her state House district until the session came to a close. Jones raised about $342,000 in the CD 18 race and said she expected that people would count her out. She campaigned vigorously during the 11-day early voting period and on Tuesday, earning about 19 percent of the vote and coming in third place.
“I’ve been at the polls every day, all day, from 7 to 7, because I have nothing better to do than fight for the people I represent,” Jones said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “I’m in these streets. I’m not in an ivory tower. I’m in the streets with the people.”
Jones broke quorum this summer with several other House Democrats when a mid-decade redistricting proposal threatened to change the boundaries of several congressional districts, including CD 18, in a Donald Trump-led effort to flip five Texas seats red.
Some Democrats ultimately returned from the quorum break, although Jones did not, and the new map passed but is now being challenged in court. The Houston Press and other media outlets reported last week that some District 18 voters were confused about whether the new boundary lines would prevent them from voting in Tuesday’s election.
County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said that voters who cast ballots in Congressional District 18 in 2024 would be able to do so on Tuesday and again in next year’s runoff. The new boundary lines won’t take effect until the March 2026 primary election, Hudspeth said.
Christian Menefee talks to voters at Acres Homes Multi-Service Center on Tuesday morning. Credit: April Towery
Whoever wins the runoff will hold the seat until the end of 2026 but will have to immediately file again for the primary election. Longtime U.S. Rep. Al Green, who was redistricted out of his District 9 seat, is expected to announce a bid for District 18 on Friday, November 7.
Houston City Council candidate Kathy Tatum was campaigning Tuesday morning near the Acres Homes Multi-Service Center and said residents in District 18 have been without a member of Congress for almost a year and could benefit from a youthful perspective. Green is 78. Menefee is 37, and Edwards is 43.
“We don’t have nobody in CD 18 because in the Democratic Party we have loyalty to our ancestors and those who paved the way,” Tatum said. “We have had people in office who should have retired, and that’s a situation that could happen again if Al Green enters this race.”
As if low voter turnout wasn’t already a challenge in the November election, some Harris County residents have said they weren’t planning to vote in the race for a new Congressional District 18 representative because they thought they’d been redistricted out of that area.
That’s not the case. The District 18 boundaries are the same as they were in the 2024 election, when former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner won the seat. After Turner’s death in March, the Texas Legislature approved new congressional boundary lines but they haven’t gone into effect yet. A special election to fill Turner’s unexpired term is set for November 4, and early voting is underway.
The new redistricting maps are currently being challenged in federal court and, if upheld, will apply to the March 2026 primary election.
Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said voters will receive new registration certificates in early 2026 when the new lines are implemented.
Ken Rodgers, president of the Greater Third Ward Super Neighborhood, said he and his neighbors are clear that they haven’t been drawn into another district, and even if they had, they’d still get to vote for a new member of Congress in the November election. The challenge, Rodgers said, is to get people to go to the polls.
“I’m just encouraging people to vote, period,” he said. “The numbers are still low.”
As of Tuesday, about 112,794 Harris County residents cast ballots at 70 early voting polling places. The unofficial numbers also include returned mail ballots. Harris County has almost 2.7 million registered voters, so the turnout thus represents a dismal 4.23 percent. However, early voting continues through Friday and many people still prefer to cast their ballots on Election Day.
The Congressional District 18 race includes 16 candidates, with former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards and Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee leading in the polls. Both frontrunners are Democrats. Political experts say a runoff is likely to be held in January 2026, and the District 18 boundaries will stay the same for that too.
Edwards said at a Wednesday press conference she’s encountered scores of voters who have expressed uncertainty about which district they live in and where their votes will count in the upcoming election.
“This whole situation is by design: not having the special election occur in close proximity to the death [of Turner] creates a distance with people in terms of their connection to a November election applying to something that happened in March,” she said. “It’s just a lot of those things that, when you add them up, you create a very confused electorate.”
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could have called the special election immediately but said after Turner’s death that Harris County has poorly managed elections in the past and would need months, not weeks, to prepare.
Bishops R.H. Jones, Kenneth Murray Sr. and John Wynn attended Edwards’ media event and said they’re working in the community to educate voters that there is a November election and the redistricting boundaries haven’t changed.
“They don’t even know they’re confused,” Wynn said. “Logically, [approved redistricting maps] would apply to the next election.”
Bishops R.H. Jones, Kenneth R. Murray Sr. and John Wynn say they’re educating voters that there is a November election and the redistricting boundaries haven’t changed yet. Credit: April Towery
Currently, the 18th Congressional district has about 800,000 constituents and includes downtown, part of The Heights, Acres Homes, Third Ward, northeast Houston and the area surrounding George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Humble.
The new proposed boundaries move the district’s core population south and east, taking in portions of the 9th Congressional District, represented by Democrat Congressman Al Green, whose home will be in the 18th district under the new map.
Green didn’t file for the special election to fill Turner’s unexpired term but has said he’s considering a run for District 18 in the March primary.
The lines were redrawn mid-decade in an effort to flip five seats red so President Donald Trump could maintain his Republican majority in Congress. District 18 is now and will remain a Democrat-majority district. Critics have said the effort, led by the Republican-majority Texas Legislature, was unnecessary and racist.
The new District 18 boundaries will decrease the Hispanic population, which plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit say dilutes the voting power of minority communities.
Christian Menefee, third from right, poses with supporters Houston City Councilman Mario Castillo, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, U.S. Congresswoman Rodney Ellis, Houston City Councilwoman Tiffany Thomas and Houston Federation of Teachers president Jackie Anderson at an October 28 event. Credit: Jackie Anderson
Menefee said Wednesday he’s also seeing “a ton of confusion.”
“This election is about our democracy,” Menefee said in an email to the Houston Press. “This district is known for having a powerful voice, and right now that voice matters more than ever. Republican leaders are doing everything they can to dilute the voting power of the people, from changing maps to making it more confusing to vote, all in an effort to silence our communities.”
“But every single vote cast in this election pushes back against that,” he added. “Every single vote says we’re still here, we’re still fighting, and we’re ready to stand up for democracy.”
Edwards ran for the District 18 seat in 2024 and placed second to longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the primary. After Jackson Lee’s death in July 2024, Edwards made another bid and lost to Turner in a special election.
“It has been far too long since we’ve had representation,” Edwards said on Wednesday. By the time a representative is elected, almost a year will have passed since District 18 residents have had an opportunity to advocate for federal funding and had a voice in Congress, the candidate said.
“A lot has taken place, including the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill that has devastating impacts on our community,” she said. “That only passed, initially, by a margin of one vote while the seat was empty.”
Edwards’ message on Wednesday was clear: “If you were able to vote in the 18th Congressional District in 2022 and 2024, you can vote in that district in 2025 in this special election.” Because the election is to fill Turner’s unexpired term, the boundaries that were in place when that term began must be honored, the candidate explained. The winner of the special election will serve until December 2026.
All Texas voters will decide on 17 constitutional amendments, including tax exemptions, a statewide water fund and bail reform. Houston and Cypress-Fairbanks ISDs have contested school board races, and an at-large Houston City Council seat is also up for grabs for voters who live within the city limits.
Sixteen candidates are vying for the U.S. Congressional District 18 seat vacated by the March death of former Rep. Sylvester Turner, and political experts say it will likely be decided in a runoff between Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards. The winner will hold the seat until the term expires at the end of 2026.
The University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs recently released a poll showing Menefee and Edwards in the lead, with 27 percent and 23 percent, respectively. Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones was in third place with 15 percent, according to the poll.
Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University who co-authored the survey, said Jolanda Jones is “clearly in a second-tier category compared to Menefee and Edwards.”
“It’s not really a three-candidate race right now. It’s a two-candidate race,” he said.
Former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards talks with Harris County voters at an October forum. Credit: April Towery
University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus agreed that all signs are pointing to a runoff, with Menefee and Edwards as the top vote-getters.
“It’s been a pretty quiet race; it’s been pretty dormant,” Rottinghaus said. “There’s a chance that Menefee could [win outright] but I don’t think it’s going to happen. It depends on turnout. I don’t think there’s a ton of enthusiasm at this point.”
Early voting began Monday, and Election Day is November 4. The boundaries of Congressional District 18 were redrawn over the summer and are currently being challenged in federal court, creating confusion for some voters who aren’t sure whether they still live in CD 18.
Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth reminded voters at a press conference Monday that the current District 18 boundaries, the ones that have been in place for the past several election cycles, remain in place until 2026. They will also remain the same in a runoff, but not in next year’s election, when the seat will be up for grabs again.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee speaks at an October press conference. Credit: Jayla Fields
The UH report states that if federal judges affirm Texas’s new district maps for the 2026 election, much of Congressional District 9 would be redistricted into Congressional District 18. U.S. Rep. Al Green, who has represented District 9 for two decades, received high (89 percent) favorability ratings by the Democratic voters living within the current boundaries of District 18, according to the poll.
Green is not participating in the District 18 race to fill Turner’s unexpired term but said he’s considering a bid for the seat next year.
The district has elected a Black Democrat for more than 50 years; the late former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee represented the area for almost three decades. Lee died in July 2024, and Turner, a former Houston mayor, held the seat for less than three months before his death.
Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards were leading in a poll conducted earlier this month of 1,200 likely voters. Credit: University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs
Other noteworthy hopefuls in the District 18 race for Turner’s unexpired term include Republican journalist Carmen Maria Montiel, Democrat Isaiah Martin, and Independent candidate George Foreman IV. Montiel received support from 6 percent of likely voters; Martin and Foreman received support from 4 percent. No other candidate received more than 3 percent.
The polling numbers have not discouraged political newcomer Stephen Huey from remaining in the race to fill Turner’s seat. The Democrat told the Houston Press his party is “not getting a lot done right now.”
“We need to communicate better to the rest of the American people,” he said. “The preaching to the choir thing doesn’t work.” Huey, a technology consultant, said he’s the only Democrat in the race who has extensive industry experience in healthcare, finance, and energy. He added, however, that even though he speaks Spanish and spent part of his childhood in West Africa, he’s still a white guy running in a district heavily populated by Black and Latino voters.
“Some people I’ve talked to insist that maybe [the Congress member] should be someone from Third Ward, and I totally understand that,” Huey said. “For me, I’m most concerned about the district being served well.”
From left, Congressional District 18 candidates Christian Menefee, Stephen Huey and George Foreman IV debate at an October forum. Credit: Shirley Lim
About 1,200 likely voters were surveyed in the UH poll between October 7 and 11. When presented with eight policy issues, 44 percent said civil rights and civil liberties were the top concerns facing the nation, followed by jobs and the economy (13 percent), healthcare (12 percent), and inflation and prices (11 percent).
Rottinghaus suggested that the top two candidates may be saving some of their “best stuff” for the runoff. Both Menefee and Edwards have been campaigning nonstop since they filed for the post shortly after Turner’s funeral. They’re both young Black lawyers and have taken similar positions on opposing the mid-decade redistricting effort, supporting affordable healthcare for all Americans and standing up to the Trump administration.
Menefee, 37, recently sued the federal government, claiming the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency illegally rescinded its $7 billion Solar for All grant program. The county attorney also joined government leaders across the country in filing a legal motion opposing a federal law that would strip Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood.
Edwards, 43, hosted an “Uplifting Black Women’s Voices” media event last week featuring Alison Leland, the widow of Mickey Leland, who held the District 18 seat for 10 years. Edwards has highlighted her service as an at-large Houston City Council member and her community advocacy.
Edwards ran for the District 18 seat in 2024, placing second to Jackson Lee in the primary. After Jackson Lee’s death, Edwards made another bid and lost to Turner in a special election. During those campaigns, she built a base of supporters and increased her name recognition among the district’s 825,000 residents.
As it stands today, Congressional District 18 is about 43 percent Hispanic, 32 percent Black and 17 percent white.
The UH survey shows that Jolanda Jones did not poll well among white voters, compared to Menefee and Edwards. The state rep broke quorum this summer, fleeing the state to avoid voting on a redistricting map that she deemed racist and illegal. While she has said her constituents supported her action, she lost valuable campaign time. Jones also filed almost three months after Menefee and Edwards did, saying she didn’t want to abandon the constituents of her Texas House district while the Legislature was in session.
Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston, said Congressional District 18 is “a pretty solidly liberal district.”
“It has a vast array of people that span from far north Harris County all the way to the inner city,” she said. “It’s a diverse district. I think it’s fair to say that the voters of District 18 are proud of the heritage of their representatives, from Barbara Jordan to Mickey Leland to Sheila Jackson Lee. They like the outspoken, opinionated representatives that fight for them.”
Congressional District 18 voters have elected a Black Democrat for the past 50 years. Credit: University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs
Democrats have criticized Gov. Greg Abbott for delaying the election to November when he could have called it immediately after Turner’s death in March. By the time a runoff is held, likely in February, the district will have been without representation for almost a year.
“All of this was intentional,” candidate Isaiah Martin told the Texas Tribune. “Republicans knew that when they did this sham process, and they’re trying to depress our turnout. And so it’s up to us to make sure that we don’t let them succeed.”
