In Texas’ 18th Congressional District, voters are being asked to keep two elections straight at the same time.
One, a special election runoff in late January to fill the seat right now, and two, a March primary that decides who will be on the ballot for a full two-year term.
That overlap is fueling confusion in the district.
Tx-18 does not currently have representation in Congress.
In the Nov. 4 special election, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and former Houston City Councilmember Amanda Edwards, both Democrats, were the top two finishers out of 16 candidates.
Since both fell short of the 50% threshold, with Menefee receiving 28.9% and Edwards 25.6%, they are now headed to a runoff.
Historical context
For nearly three decades, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was the face of Texas’ 18th Congressional District in Washington, serving from 1995 until her death in 2024. She built a national profile as a progressive Democrat and a constant presence in Houston politics, especially in historically Black neighborhoods that make up a major part of the district’s identity.
Jackson Lee’s tenure followed the district’s earlier civil-rights lineage, including Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, and Craig Washington.
After her death, Sylvester Turner, a former Texas House member and Houston mayor from 2016 to 2024, won the seat and was sworn into Congress in January 2025. But Turner’s time in Washington was brief. He died in March 2025. Turner’s death meant the district lost two members in less than a year.
What are the two elections?
- First is the Jan. 31, 2026, special runoff election.
According to the Harris County Clerk’s Office, early voting runs from Wednesday, Jan. 21, through Tuesday, Jan. 27. The timings are:
- Monday-Saturday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- Sunday: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Election Day voting is on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The deadline to apply for a mail ballot is Jan. 20. The application link can be found at harrisvotes.com. Voters need to fill it out, print it, and mail it to the county clerk’s office before the deadline.
- Then comes March 3, 2026, when Texas holds its party primaries. This election determines which Democrat and which Republican will advance to the November 2026 general election.
Early voting begins Feb. 17.
Voters can get mail ballot materials for the March primary as early as late January, even while the January runoff is still underway.
The overlapping elections could confuse voters.
Whoever is elected in the special election will represent TX-18 in Congress for 10 months if they fail to win the March primary election.
The map problem: old district vs. new district
The confusion is not just about dates.
It extends to which version of the district a voter lives in.
The January runoff is being conducted under the district’s existing boundaries, while the March contest is tied to a new map shaped by ongoing redistricting disputes and court decisions.
What this means is that a household could be in CD-18 for the January runoff but drawn into a different district for the March election cycle, depending on how the new lines apply where they live.
The 18th Congressional District will change significantly, with nearly three-quarters of its current eligible voting population being redirected to other districts.
It resembles the current 9th Congressional District, currently represented by Democrat Al Green.
Green has filed to run in the new 18th Congressional District.
Therefore, in the March primary, he will be facing Menefee and Edwards, who have filed as candidates.
What it means for constituents
Gov. Greg Abbott set the runoff for Jan. 31 to fill the remainder of Turner’s term, after the seat stayed vacant for months.
This means there were no members to cast votes, push district priorities in negotiations, or help residents navigate federal agencies, such as Social Security, Medicare, and disaster recovery paperwork.
Rice University political science professor Mark Jones believes a new Democrat in D.C. could upset the Republican majority.
“We have four vacant seats in the U.S. House at present,” Jones told the Defender. “Republicans have a 218 to 213 advantage. Since this is a race where you have two Democrats in the runoff, by definition, the winner will reduce that Republican advantage from 213-218 to 214-218. When you combine that with the upcoming election to replace Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey), you’re looking at the likely prospect where the Republican advantage goes to as low as 215-218 before going up to 219 when Marjorie Taylor Greene’s replacement is elected.”
