The race to fill Texas’ 18th Congressional District seat, long held by the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, reached a pivotal moment as five candidates took the stage at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.
Before a packed audience, Democratic candidates Zoe Cadore, Amanda Edwards, Isaiah Martin, Christian Menefee and Robert Slater made their cases in a spirited debate co-hosted by the Houston Defender and FOX 26 Houston.
About 100 Democratic precinct chairs voted to select five candidates for the debate.
The church itself carried symbolic weight. Wheeler Avenue was founded during the Civil Rights Movement and hosted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when few Houston churches would.
Redistricting and representation
The first round of questions focused on the looming changes from redistricting, which could alter CD-18’s makeup after March 2026.
Martin, the youngest candidate and a former senior adviser to the late Rep. Jackson Lee, stressed grassroots organizing and using social media platforms like TikTok to reach voters.
“We are knocking on doors every single week,” Martin said. “Ultimately, people want somebody who can stand up to this pathetic president that we have in DC. He thinks we’re not gonna stand up to him…That’s why we’re organizing, that’s why we’re having nightly town halls. Transparency is key.”
Cadore, a federal policy advocate and energy lobbyist, said her experience in Washington prepared her to deliver results for Houston.
“I’m working on policy that will be impactful for everyone, regardless of your race, your background, or even where you live,” Cadore said. “This redistricting scheme that has been put on by Donald Trump and Greg Abbott has said one thing. It is that we need leadership that can be across all borders, across all districts.”
Menefee, the Harris County Attorney, framed redistricting as an attack on minority representation.
“The President of the United States and the Governor of Texas are colluding to strip representation from communities across our country,” Menefee said. “We have fought for environmental justice so that every single community can have clean air, clean water and clean land.
“We should do every single thing we can to make sure that these maps do not go into effect. But if the maps do pass, then I’m ready, willing and able to serve my community in whatever capacity possible.”
Edwards, the former City Council member, reminded the audience of the district’s vulnerability.
“If you are not at the table, you are what’s on the menu,” Edwards said. “We have spent so much time without our voting member, voice, vote and federal advocate for funding during the middle of hurricane season, we have now seen ourselves be placed on the chopping block with this redistricting…I’ll continue this fight for the 18th and make sure that our voices are heard, our economic stability is restored, our healthcare is restored, our education is restored.”
Slater, an entrepreneur, offered a broader mobilization plan.
“We have to reach back towards the middle to our moderate Republicans and some are conservative Democrats that give them an umbrella to come back in,” Slater said. “This is democracy against a dictator. We have a plan right now to put boots on the ground in those seats, create a command center where every week we have mobile mobilization plans.”
Crime and public safety
Public safety dominated the second exchange.
Cadore balanced her response between supporting law enforcement and demanding reform.
“I have many family members who are in the Houston Police Department,” she said. “I also have friends and family who have been victims of police brutality. It is not a one or the other solution. We need to have safe policing, but we also need community policing.”
Menefee said that too often, police are asked to serve as mental health providers.
“I wanna work hand in hand with law enforcement to ensure that community policing is running throughout our communities, but also that we’re not asking our police officers to be mental health providers,” Menefee said. “There are a number of instances where a violence interruption program or a mental health provider being called to a scene is going to be far more effective than calling out law enforcement.”
Edwards pointed to her record on the City Council.
“If we are talking about keeping Houstonians safe, we have to fund community policing,” Edwards said. “That comes through a combination of both your local funding sources, but also your federal partners as well.”
Education and jobs
On education and opportunity, Menefee emphasized vocational pathways.
“I wanna make sure that we have apprenticeship programs, where we take kids straight from high school, teach ’em about welding, constructing, other skilled trades where if they work at it in several years, they can earn $150,000-$200,000, take care of their family and work to build generational wealth,” he said.
Edwards touted her role in launching Houston’s Innovation District, arguing that tech and small business investment are key to future growth.
“We’ve gotta put funding into our public education system so that we prepare people for the jobs of tomorrow and tech and innovation, but also create outcomes for our community,” she said.
Martin pushed for tuition-free community colleges and federal grants for apprenticeships.
“We have to create the training structure to train people for the jobs of tomorrow,” Martin said. “It starts with more federal grants to make apprenticeship programs available.”
Cadore, an HBCU graduate, pledged to champion schools like Texas Southern University.
“We need to make sure that we are training students so that they can be prepared for the next generation of jobs,” Cadore said. “We also need to acknowledge that we are dealing with a generation of students who are traumatized…They have seen a president who has eliminated thousands of jobs throughout the federal government. So we need to be supporting them, helping ’em to start small businesses, inspiring them to pursue their dreams.”
Slater proposed a sweeping overhaul.
“We have a bold plan to rebuild the Department of Education after it’s been destroyed federally, just like the Federal Reserve,” he said, calling for funding parity regardless of property tax base.
Disaster recovery and inequality
Candidates also faced questions on climate resilience and disaster response. Edwards recalled her post-Harvey outreach.
“We can’t have a disaster recovery system that doesn’t involve housing solutions,” she said, promising a “housing solutions center” to streamline aid.
Menefee pointed to his legal battle for Hurricane Harvey funds, adding that Houston and Harris County were awarded zero dollars out of more than $1 billion awarded for recovery.
“I was part of a team of folks at the county who fought to make sure that that number went from zero to $750 million to flow back into our communities,” he said.
Cadore promised federal oversight to ensure recovery dollars actually reach vulnerable neighborhoods like Fifth Ward and Sunnyside.
Gun Violence
Gun safety split the candidates along lines of urgency.
Edwards, who lost a cousin to gun violence, declared, “We don’t need to be selling guns. We need to get into the business of making sure that we are putting dollars and resources into keeping people safe from violent crime. This is a serious business for our community and we have a disproportionate amount of people in the 18th Congressional district who suffer from gun violence.”
Martin was unequivocal: “We need people that can unapologetically say that I support banning the sale of assault style weapons in this country, ’cause it’s long overdue.”
Menefee agreed, backing a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines while closing the gun show loophole.
Cadore tied the issue to inequities. “We should not have any place in America where children are susceptible to gun violence. Unfortunately, banning guns is not going to stop it because a lot of times it is a mental health crisis.”
Slater urged responsible ownership.
“The Second Amendment is the Second Amendment,” he said, “If you are a gun owner, be responsible to teach your children to teach them and be responsible.”
