Democrat Christian Menefee won a Texas U.S. House seat in a special election Saturday that will narrow Republicans鈥� already-slim majority, telling President Donald Trump that the Democratic district 鈥渢opples corrupt presidencies.鈥�
Menefee, the Harris County attorney, prevailed in against Amanda Edwards, a former Houston City Council member. He will replace the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, a former Houston mayor, who .
The seat representing the heavily Democratic Houston-based district has been vacant for nearly a year.
Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott didn鈥檛 schedule the first round of voting until November. Menefee and Edwards were the top vote-getters in a 16-candidate, all-parties primary. They advanced to a runoff because no candidate won a majority of the vote.
Speaking to supporters at his victory party, Menefee promised to fight for universal health insurance, seek to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and 鈥渢ear ICE up from the roots.鈥�
He also addressed Trump directly after noting that one of the district’s most storied representatives, Democrat Barbara Jordan, was an eloquent voice for President Richard Nixon’s impeachment ahead of his 1974 resignation.
鈥淭he 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鈥檙e taking this country and to investigate your crimes,” Menefee said.
Menefee will fill the remainder of Turner’s term, which ends when a new Congress is sworn in to office in January 2027.
Abbott had argued that Houston officials needed the six months between Turner鈥檚 death and the first round of voting to prepare for the special election, but Democrats as a move designed to give the GOP a slightly bigger cushion in the House for difficult votes.
While campaigning Saturday, Edwards, 44, referenced the long vacancy in a video she posted to social media, saying voters have gone too long without a voice in Washington. Later, she told supporters at her watch party that the race 鈥渘ever was about winning a particular seat.鈥�
鈥淭his journey has always been about creating a community where every single person in it, no matter what their background, no matter where they were from, no matter where they lived, would have the opportunity to thrive,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat means access to health care. That means education. That means economics.鈥�
Menefee, 37, was endorsed by several prominent Texas Democrats including former congressman and Rep. Jasmine Crockett. He was joined Saturday by Crockett, who is running for the U.S. Senate.
Menefee ousted an incumbent in 2020 to become Harris County鈥檚 first Black county attorney, representing it in civil cases, and he has joined legal challenges of President Donald Trump鈥檚 executive orders on immigration.
Edwards served four years on the Houston City Council starting in 2016. She ran for U.S. Senate in 2020 but finished fifth in a 12-person primary. She unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the 2024 primary, and when Lee died that July, local Democrats narrowly nominated Turner over Edwards as Lee鈥檚 replacement.
Menefee finished ahead of Edwards in the primary, but Edwards picked up the endorsement of the third-place finisher, state Rep. Jolanda Jones, who said Edwards had skills 鈥渂est suited to go against Trump.鈥�
After Saturday, yet another election lies ahead in little over a month. Both Menefee and Edwards are on the ballot again on March 3, when they will face Democratic Rep. Al Green in another election 鈥� this one a Democratic primary in a newly drawn 18th congressional district, for the full term that starts in 2027.
GOP lawmakers who control Texas state government last summer for this year鈥檚 midterms, pushed by Trump to create five more winnable seats for Republicans to help preserve their majority.
Winter weather added to voters’ confusion, forcing local officials to cancel two days of advance voting this week, prompting civil rights group to go to court to win a two-day extension, into Thursday.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
