Gov. Greg Abbott has set Jan. 31, 2026, as the date for the runoff election to fill Texas’ 18th Congressional District, finalizing the timeline for a race that will determine who finishes the late U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner’s term representing a heavily Democratic, Houston-based seat.
The runoff pits Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee against former Houston at-large City Council member Amanda Edwards. Both are Democrats and emerged as the top two finishers in a crowded Nov. 4 special election that drew 16 candidates from multiple parties.
Neither cleared the 50% threshold needed to win outright, forcing the two-person rematch. While Menefee finished with 28.9% of the vote, Edwards came in second at 25.6%.
Early voting for the runoff is scheduled to run Jan. 21–27, according to Abbott’s proclamation and multiple local election notices.
A long vacancy for the district
The District 18 seat has been vacant since March 5, 2025, when Turner died at age 70 from health complications, just two months after taking office. He had won the seat in 2024 after serving as Houston’s mayor and succeeding longtime Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died in 2024.
Turner’s death triggered the current special election process. Under Texas law, the governor has broad discretion in scheduling special elections, and there is no statutory deadline for calling one. Abbott ultimately set the first-round special election for Nov. 4, 2025, eight months after Turner’s passing, a timeline that drew criticism from local Democrats and voting-rights advocates who argued the district was being left without representation for too long in a narrowly divided U.S. House.
By the time voters cast ballots in the Jan. 31 runoff, the seat will have been empty for roughly 11 months.
Congressional District 18 encompasses a substantial portion of Houston. It has long been regarded as a reliably Democratic and majority-minority seat, having sent Black Democrats to Congress for decades and serving as a key voice on issues such as civil rights, housing, healthcare, and disaster recovery.
Abbott’s timing and political backdrop
Abbott’s decision to place the runoff on Jan. 31 means the winner will have only a short window to settle into the job before the March 3, 2026, Democratic primary for the next full two-year term. In this deep-blue district, the primary is widely expected to be the decisive contest for who will represent the area in the term beginning in January 2027.
The timing also intersects with a broader fight over Texas’ new congressional map. The Republican-drawn map, which significantly reshapes District 18 and moves nearly three-quarters of its current eligible voters into other districts, has been challenged in federal court as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. A three-judge panel recently blocked the map from taking effect, introducing uncertainty into what lines will ultimately govern the 2026 regular elections.
Under the Legislature’s plan, the new District 18 would closely resemble today’s 9th Congressional District, which has long been represented by Democrat Al Green, who has already filed to run in the new configuration.
That means whoever wins the special-election runoff could face a primary next year against an entrenched incumbent in a dramatically altered district, depending on how the courts rule.
City Council race: At-large position 4
Meanwhile, at the municipal level, the city of Houston has set the run-off date for the open at-large council seat, At-Large Position 4, for Dec. 13, 2025 (Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.). Early voting will run from December 1–9 (Monday through Saturday: 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Sunday: 12:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.).
This seat became open after Letitia Plummer resigned in July 2025 to run for Harris County Judge.
In the November 4 general election, no candidate exceeded 50% support, prompting a run-off between attorney Alejandra Salinas and former City Council Member Dwight Boykins.
Salinas led with approximately 21% of the vote, followed closely by Boykins with about 20%.
Why both elections matter
These two run-offs, one federal and one local, underscore how Houston’s citizens will have significant representation gaps and transition periods ahead.
With the federal seat vacant until Jan. 31, Congress will deliberate key issues without full input from this majority-minority district.
The council seat vacancy likewise means city residents await complete representation on local matters, including housing, disaster readiness, infrastructure and flood control.
