After securing victory in the race for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, Christian Menefee said his first priority in Congress is to make sure residents finally feel represented again.
Menefee, the former Harris County Attorney, was sworn in on Feb. 2, stepping into a seat that has been without full representation for nearly a year following the deaths of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and then Congressman Sylvester Turner.
Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott did not schedule the first round of voting until November for the Black and Democratic stronghold.
Menefee accused Abbott of delaying the election and attempting to weaken the district’s political voice, and he pledged to oppose President Donald Trump’s policies.
“I want people in our communities to know that they have an office that they can go to when they’re having issues with Medicare, the VA hospital, social security, a place that they can go to get their questions answered and their problems solved, whether it be immigration case work or anything.”
Congressman Christian Menefee
“I want people in our communities to know that they have an office that they can go to when they’re having issues with Medicare, the VA hospital, social security, a place that they can go to get their questions answered and their problems solved, whether it be immigration case work or anything,” Menefee said.
Menefee won a special runoff election, amassing 68.4% of the vote compared to his Democratic challenger, Amanda Edwards, who received 31.6%, according to results released Saturday night by the Harris County Clerk’s Office.
He will have to immediately campaign again for this seat in the Democratic primary against Edwards and U.S. Rep. Al Green, the incumbent representative for TX-9.
Menefee and Edwards were the top two finishers out of 16 candidates in this past November’s special election. Since both fell short of the 50% threshold, they had to face each other for the January runoff.
Restoring everyday stability
In an interview with the Defender, Menefee framed his agenda around lowering costs and strengthening the economic footing of working families, saying the promise of a stable, middle-class life has slipped out of reach for many.
“My focus has always been making sure that people who live in our districts get more money back in their pockets and that we drive costs down so that folks can afford to have a great life in this country,” he said.
Pointing to increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, Menefee said he would advocate for raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour.
He also promised support for small businesses and speeding up FEMA disaster aid after storms.
Menefee added that today’s economy forces many Americans to work longer hours for less security than previous generations, and said federal policy should help restore what he called a basic level of dignity.
Bipartisanship through relationships
With the U.S. House narrowly divided, Menefee said progress will depend on interpersonal relationships across party lines.
He touted his practice as county attorney to advance measures that his colleagues in Congress might not support.
“I’m no stranger to being able to partner with people who view the world differently than I do,” Menefee added.
He cited partnering with Republican leaders to stop landfill expansion in underserved Houston communities and working with Texas’ Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton to push back against vaping companies targeting youth.
Those experiences, he said, show he can collaborate with political opponents when local communities are at stake.
Balancing governance and campaigning
BIG NEWS: After 334 days of having no voice in Congress, TX-18 will finally have representation.
— Christian D. Menefee (@CDMenefee) February 2, 2026
I’m told I will be sworn in tonight around 5:30pm-5:50pm CT.
Tune in Houston, this is your moment.
Watch: https://t.co/leZIDFyPbK pic.twitter.com/RB2YJUflIo
Menefee’s win comes during an unusual election cycle.
While he takes office now, a March Democratic primary will determine who runs for a full term under newly redrawn district lines.
When asked by the Defender how he will balance constituent services and the ongoing campaign for the March elections, Menefee joked, “The answer is yes.”
“It’s going to be major work for sure, but what people expect out of their member is to be able to juggle all those things,” he said. “I’m up for the job. I know how to walk and chew gum.”
Menefee cast his new role as part of a long legacy of outspoken leadership from the 18th District, invoking figures such as Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, Craig Washington, Jackson Lee, and Turner.
“There’s a clear through line between those folks, and that is the ability to show the face of the 18th Congressional District to a national audience, understanding the incredible cultural diversity that we have in our communities, the grit, the hardworking nature, the neighborly love, and spreading that message across the country,” he said. “I plan to be an advocate on the issues that are important to my district…whether it’s at a barbershop in the district or it’s on national news.”
The victory speech
In his election night speech, Menefee repeatedly returned to personal and community stories as the backbone of his campaign.
He spoke about families struggling with food insecurity while facing cuts to nutrition assistance programs, tying that to his own family’s experience benefiting from WIC.
Menefee also shared his brother’s battle with cancer, made survivable, he said, because of military health benefits that covered costly treatment.
Those stories, per the new Congressman, explain why he supports strengthening the social safety net, protecting SNAP and WIC, overhauling immigration enforcement, and pushing for universal health coverage.
“This is always a campaign about stories about the good that government can do, that government can be an instrument of good if you have public servants who put people first and who work hard,” he said in his speech.
Menefee also used his speech to draw contrasts with Republican leadership at both the state and federal levels.
