Texas race to replace deceased Democrat advances to runoff

The race to replace the late Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner in Texas’ 18th Congressional District advanced to a runoff election between Democrats Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards.

The congressional seat, which covers some of the most densely populated portions of Houston, has been empty since Turner’s sudden death on March 5.

A Democratic stronghold, there were 16 candidates in the race, seven Democrats, five Republicans, three independents and one Green Party candidate.

Menefee, an attorney and Houston city council member, won 32% of the vote as of late Tuesday night and Edwards, who currently serves as Harris County attorney, brought in 26%. Because neither candidate took home 50% of the vote to win the seat, they will have to face off again in a runoff election in February.

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Due to the passing of Texas’ mid-decade redistricting bill, the district will split into districts 9, 29 and 18. However, this change will not happen until March and will not impact the runoff election.

Though both candidates have been vocal critics of President Donald Trump, Menefee has been endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus Political Action Committee. He has been praised by the likes of Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Greg Casar, D-Texas, and Maxwell Frost, D-Fla. 

In a joint statement, the three called Menefee a “proven fighter” against “Republican overreach” and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney Ken Paxton and the Trump administration.

“As the youngest person and first African-American to serve as chief civil lawyer for Texas’s largest county, Christian Menefee has a demonstrated record of standing up to Republican overreach and delivering results for working families,” the three said in the statement. “He has won multi-million dollar settlements holding corporations accountable for emissions deception and deceptive marketing and has protected communities by taking on polluters and discriminatory landfill expansion. He has taken on Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton and the Trump administration. Christian is the proven fighter Texas’s 18th district needs. We are proud to back his campaign.”

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Menefee has also boasted in campaign ads about being called a “radical attorney” by the Trump White House.

Edwards, meanwhile, has been endorsed by groups such as EMILY’s List and Elect Democratic Women.

Edwards’ campaign website emphasizes building a healthier, safer and more equitable District 18.

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She states that “under President Trump’s leadership, our country has seen devastating attacks on our democracy, divisive rhetoric that weakened communities, and policies that have harmed the middle class and working families.”

Turner died at age 70, having only served in Congress for just months. He also served as mayor of Houston for eight years, from 2016 to 2024. He replaced the late Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, who also died in office in 2024, after serving in Congress for 29 years.