Democrat Christian Menefee prevailed in a special election for a Texas U.S. House seat on Jan. 31, narrowing what is already a slim majority for the Republican Party in Congress’s lower chamber.
Menefee, 37, the former Harris County attorney, won a runoff election against fellow Democrat Amanda Edwards, 44, a former Houston city council member. The two were seeking to replace late Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) in the state’s solidly Democratic 18th congressional district, which includes most of Houston’s inner city and the surrounding areas.
The seat had been vacant since Turner’s death in March 2025.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, waited until November 2025 to schedule the first round of voting, with both Menefee and Edwards rising above a slate of 16 candidates in an all-parties primary. When neither candidate won a majority, they advanced to a runoff vote….
Democrat Wins Texas Special Election, Eroding GOP’s Slim House Majority
