The death of Houston Congressman Sylvester Turner in March this year set in motion a political reshuffling that triggered a special election in November.
Congressional District 18, long considered a pillar of Black political power in Texas, is entering a period of transition shaped not only by Turner’s passing but also by mid-decade redistricting that has redrawn the lines of representation.
Gov. Greg Abbott called an unusual off-year special election for Nov. 4 to fill Turner’s unexpired term until January 2027. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, the county’s chief election official, says the immediate task is ensuring voters understand the distinction between the “current” and “new” versions of District 18.
“The congressional district, as it stands today, remains the same and will remain the same if there is a runoff,” Hudspeth told the Defender.
She outlined the critical deadlines, which started with a Sept. 3 filing deadline and were followed by early voting from Oct. 20-31. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 6.
Hudspeth added that her office works with community groups like the League of Women Voters and Houston Area Urban League, social media, high schools, colleges, and local media to inform voters, hold ballot-demonstration events and prepare sample ballots by late September.
The redistricting battle
What complicates the future of District 18 is the new congressional map, drawn in a special session at the urging of President Donald Trump.
Under the new map, which Abbott signed into law in late August, District 9, historically represented by Congressman Al Green, was carved up and overlaid with portions of District 18. Green’s home and much of his base in Sunnyside, South Park, Hiram Clarke and parts of Fort Bend and Brazoria Counties were shifted into the newly numbered CD 18.
“They didn’t move my constituents, they didn’t move my house,” Green said. “It would not make sense for me to run in this new Ninth Congressional District. I have no relationships politically with the people in the new Ninth. The new 18th is where I have my home and my constituents.”
The redistricting also weakened Latino voting strength in District 29 by shifting large portions northward, a maneuver Green described as unlawful “cracking and packing” that diminishes representation for both African Americans and Latinos. He has vowed to continue challenging the maps in court under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, although he acknowledged litigation could take years.
Al Green’s calculations
Green, who has represented the Ninth Congressional District since 2005, has faced speculation that he would jump into this year’s special election to succeed Turner. He has ruled that out.
For context, the new 18th congressional seat will not technically exist until the 2026 elections, but the decision point for candidates comes later this year.
“Should I choose to run for Congress and I’m telling you my name will be on the ballot, it will be in November that I will get into the race as I always have,” Green explained.
Remembering a legacy
The transition has stirred debate over the legacies of Turner’s and the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Lee represented District 18 for nearly three decades before her passing last year. Green cautioned against voices that diminish their impact.
“Anybody who knows Sheila Jackson Lee knows that she worked until she took her last breath,” Green said. “He [Turner] was on the job working…you are denying Black history when you start to demean them. We cannot destroy Black history.”
That history raises the stakes of who will next represent Houston’s historic Black congressional seat, which Barbara Jordan first carried into national prominence in 1972.
What voters should expect
For voters, the short-term focus is on the November special election to complete Turner’s term. The winner will serve until January 2027. A runoff will be held in early 2026 if no candidate secures a majority.
Longer term, however, the electorate will face a reconfigured landscape. CD 18 will absorb much of Green’s old Ninth District, while the CD 9 shifts eastward into Liberty County, an area with little prior political connection to Houston’s African American base.
Hudspeth emphasized that voter access remains stable under the countywide voting center system adopted in 2019, allowing residents to cast ballots at any polling place. The real change, she said, will be in representation once new lines take effect.
“The biggest impact that voters will experience is getting that updated voter registration card,” she warned. “If they are in a congressional district that has been changed, finding out who represents them is what’s going to be new, not necessarily that you have to go to a certain poll in your district.”
What lies ahead
Green has urged supporters not to lose faith. The question remains if litigation is a feasible way forward.
“Litigation is important in this process,” Green told the Defender. “Even if it doesn’t help you today, you do it because it can help you tomorrow. There’s a future. There’s posterity…Litigation, protestation and also education.”
For him, the fight is about more than district numbers. It is about protecting the ability of communities of color to choose their leaders.
With voter registration deadlines approaching and a crowded field expected, the next chapter of CD 18 remains uncertain. What is clear is that Houston’s Black political power, rooted in decades of hard-fought representation, faces one of its most consequential elections yet.
