Christian Menefee unseated Al Green in the TX-18 Democratic primary on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
Menefee, who is a newcomer to politics, defeated longtime Rep. Al Green in a Democratic primary runoff in Texas’ 18th Congressional District.
Menefee, 38, was elected to Congress this year after winning a special election to replace Rep. Sylvester Turner, a Democrat who died last year.
Green, 78, decided to run in the deep blue state’s 18th District, based in Houston, after his 9th District was reconfigured.
Both candidates presented themselves as vocal critics of Trump’s policies.
The 20-year incumbent is seeking a 12th term and is seen as a critic of President Donald Trump.
Just in March of this year, during POTUS’ State of the Union address, he was kicked out of the House for creating a ruckus.
Menefee, who had served as Harris County prosecutor, pointed to lawsuits his office filed against the Trump administration as evidence during the campaign.
According to the latest results, including in Harris County, where most of the redrawn 18th District is located, Menefee received 69.5% of the approximately 24,000 votes cast according to CNN.
The district also includes parts of Brazoria and Fort Bend counties.
The district saw two sitting representatives pass away in 2024 and 2025, leaving the district vacant for most of the past two years.
It first became vacant when longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee died in July 2024 until her daughter, Erica Lee Carter, was sworn in to complete the remainder of her term in November of that year.
Turner took office in January 2025, but died a few months later.
The district has a long history of black representation for more than five decades, beginning in 1973 with Rep. Barbara Jordan, the South’s first black woman elected to the House.
