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Democrat Christian Menefee won a Texas U.S. House seat in a special election Saturday, narrowing Republicans’ already-slim majority and delivering a forceful rebuke to President Donald Trump from a district long dominated by Democrats.
Menefee, the Harris County attorney, defeated Amanda Edwards, a former Houston City Council member, in a runoff election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner, the former Houston mayor, who died in March 2025.
The Houston-based district had been without representation for nearly a year after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, delayed scheduling the election. Abbott set the first round of voting for November of last year, drawing sharp criticism from Democrats who argued the prolonged vacancy was designed to give Republicans additional breathing room in the closely divided House.
Menefee and Edwards emerged as the top two finishers in a 16-candidate, all-parties primary, advancing to Saturday’s runoff after no candidate won a majority.
Speaking at his victory party, Menefee framed the result as a direct challenge to Trump and his administration, invoking the legacy of Barbara Jordan, the Houston-area Democrat who played a central role in the impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon in 1974.
“The results here tonight are a mandate for me to work as hard as I can to oppose your agenda, to fight back against where you’re taking this country and to investigate your crimes,” Menefee said, addressing Trump directly. He added that the district “topples corrupt presidencies.”
Menefee pledged to push for universal health care, seek the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, and vowed to “tear ICE up from the roots.”
Abbott has said Houston officials needed time to prepare for the special election, citing the logistical demands of running a major vote. Democrats rejected that explanation, accusing the governor of intentionally leaving a safe Democratic seat vacant to bolster GOP margins during contentious House votes.
Winter weather further complicated the race, forcing local officials to cancel two days of early voting. Civil rights groups sued, winning a court order that extended early voting by two days, through Thursday.
Menefee, 37, became Harris County’s first Black county attorney in 2020 after unseating an incumbent. In that role, he has represented the county in civil litigation and joined legal challenges against Trump administration immigration policies.
He was endorsed by prominent Texas Democrats including Beto O’Rourke and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who appeared with Menefee at his victory celebration. Crockett is currently running for the U.S. Senate.
Edwards, 44, served four years on the Houston City Council beginning in 2016. She ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2020 and later challenged Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the 2024 Democratic primary. After Lee’s death later that year, Edwards narrowly lost the party’s nomination to Turner.
Speaking to supporters Saturday night, Edwards downplayed the outcome, saying the campaign had focused on broader community goals rather than a single election result.
“This journey has always been about creating a community where every single person in it … would have the opportunity to thrive,” Edwards said, citing access to health care, education and economic opportunity.
Menefee will serve out the remainder of Turner’s term, which expires when the next Congress is sworn in January 2027.
But both Menefee and Edwards will soon be back on the ballot. On March 3, they will face Rep. Al Green in a Democratic primary for the newly redrawn 18th Congressional District, which will elect a representative for the full term beginning in 2027.
Texas Republicans redrew the state’s congressional map last summer, a move pushed by Trump and GOP lawmakers to create five additional competitive seats for Republicans in the 2026 midterms.
Saturday’s result underscored both the political resilience of Houston’s Democratic base and the high stakes of House control as parties maneuver ahead of the next election cycle.
