Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee. Former Houston City Councilmember Amanda Edwards. State Rep. Jolanda Jones. Real estate agent and journalist Carmen Montiel.
From the field of 16 candidates vying to represent the historic 18th District in the U.S. Congress, Menefee, Edwards, Jones, and Montiel were shown to be the top four candidates (in that order). This is according to a Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston survey of voters who are likely to actually vote in the November 2025 special election.
The Defender asked three questions of the four leading candidates regarding what they seek to bring to the congressional seat held previously by Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, Craig Washington, Sheila Jackson Lee, and, most recently, Sylvester Turner. Here are excerpts from their responses.
What is your top priority for improving the quality of life in District 18?
Edwards: My top priority for improving quality of life in District 18 is strengthening our infrastructure & disaster recovery so that every family can live in a safe and resilient community. While we can’t prevent the rain from falling, we can be prepared to catch it when it does. As a result, I will prioritize making more investment in our district’s infrastructure to prevent flooding. In addition to infrastructure investment, I will lead efforts to overhaul disaster recovery funding so residents can fully recover when storms and flooding occur.
Specifically, I will fight back against Trump’s attacks on FEMA and his push to limit federal funding. I will also ensure that we increase the availability of Community Development Block Grants and other funding sources to directly support residents with housing needs and to support the creation of a Housing Solutions Center (a public private partnership) designed to coordinate the federal, state, and local governments and provide a one stop shop with full case management to help residents navigate the current complicated system of isolated housing programs to find housing solutions rather than the series of rejections that residents currently receive.
Having served as an At-Large Houston City Council member during Harvey and so many other disasters, I know firsthand that we must ensure that families have access to affordable, safe housing — particularly in the aftermath of a storm. I will work every day to make sure the people of District 18 have the resources, policies, and case management they need to thrive. Finally, my other priorities include health care access, economic opportunity, and education.
Jones: Texas 18 has a number of top priorities that I need to work to address. And so, to that end, no one will fight harder than me to stop Trump cuts to healthcare and Medicaid, Social Security, education, and veterans. I’ll fight to lower the cost of prescription drugs, expand coverage for mental health care, and substance abuse, and make healthcare more affordable and accessible for all of us.
Affordable housing is also one of my top priorities in District 18—especially for people who are unhoused, living with mental illness, seniors on fixed incomes, and those struggling to find steady employment. I’ll continue fighting to create apprenticeship programs and expand job training opportunities that prepare people for well-paying, stable careers. Everyone deserves a safe place to live and the ability to earn a living with dignity.
Menefee: My top priority is giving families in our district a fair shot at the American Dream.
There used to be a time in this country when you could work one job, buy a home, raise a family, and retire with dignity. But now, families in our district are working two and three jobs, can’t afford housing, have no savings, and are putting off retirement. Meanwhile, the richest 0.1% have the same wealth as the bottom 85% of Americans. That’s wrong, and Congress should be doing something about it. We need to flip the script.
That means raising the minimum wage. It means investing in job training programs that actually lead to high-paying careers. It means passing Medicare for All so nobody goes bankrupt just because they got sick. We must strengthen unions, expand tax credits that help working people, and invest in small business growth in communities that have been overlooked for too long. We can pay for this by asking billionaires and corporations to pay their fair share. A 2% to 4% tax on the ultra-wealthy – people with a net worth over $50 million – and closing corporate tax loopholes will fund the future our communities deserve.
America has to work for all of us, not just the ultra-rich. Every single day I show up in Congress, I’ll be fighting to give families across the district a fair shot at the American Dream.
Montiel: My top priority is economic empowerment for our families and communities. District 18 deserves access to better jobs, safer neighborhoods, quality education, and affordable healthcare. Too many of our families are struggling because of poor leadership and misplaced priorities. I will work to attract new investment into our district, support small businesses, expand job training, and strengthen public safety so every family can thrive, not just survive.
With voting rights and democracy under attack, what are your plans to address these challenges?
Jones: We have to take back Democratic control of the House of Representatives and use that platform to stop Trump and save our democracy. Suing Trump is good, but it’s not enough. Trump is not scared of lawyers because he owns the Supreme Court. Only Congress can stop Trump — we can defund his programs, vote against all of his bills, investigate the hell out of him, expose his corruption, and impeach him. I know more about the attacks on voting rights than anybody in this race.
I became one of the most prominent faces of the quorum break because I was already educating people about redistricting and what the state planned to do—before any official redistricting committees were even announced. I believed it was critical that my constituents in House District 147 and in Texas 18 understood the stakes early, so they could be prepared to defend our voting rights during the redistricting hearings and help us build the strongest record possible for the courts…
In the legislature, I voted against every single bill that sought to limit voting rights—from requiring only Texas-issued IDs and birth certificates to rejecting Social Security cards as proper identification. I also voted against the constitutional amendment pushed in a low-turnout election claiming that “non-citizens can’t vote”—which is already the law. There were numerous bills designed to suppress the vote, and I voted against all of them. My record and my votes prove that protecting voting rights isn’t just my talking point—it’s my life’s work.
In Congress, I will co-sponsor the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore and strengthen protections against racial discrimination in voting and ensure that every eligible voter has equal access to the ballot box. I will co-sponsor the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act as well, which addresses police accountability, bans chokeholds and no-knock warrants, and supports re-entry programs and community-based policing reform.
Menefee: Voting rights aren’t just policy to me, they’re personal. My grandfather had to pay a poll tax to vote. I grew up going to public schools in this district, in a state that has spent decades trying to silence Black voters. That’s why I’ve spent my entire career defending the right to vote.
As Harris County Attorney, I’ve been one of the most effective defenders of democracy in the country. I sued to stop Ken Paxton from throwing out 2,100 legally cast ballots in Harris County, and I won. I stood up for local election officials – like our talented County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth – when Republican leaders attacked them. I even helped make sure people in the county jail who have not been convicted of a crime could vote.I didn’t stop there. I joined national lawsuits to defend voting rights in states like Arkansas and Tennessee.
I’ve been loud, clear, and consistent about the fact that Trump and MAGA Republicans are trying to rig our voting systems. In Congress, I’ll fight to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. I’ll push to block states with historically racist practices from changing their voting rules without federal oversight. I’ll push for automatic and same-day registration, expanded early voting, protections for election workers, and an end to politicians drawing unfair maps.
I’ve been in the fight. I’ve taken the hits. And I’ve won. Now I’m ready to take that same fight to Washington.
Montiel: As someone who came to this country seeking freedom and opportunity, I know how precious democracy truly is. I will defend the integrity of our elections, ensure that every legal vote is counted, and promote civic education so people understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens. Protecting democracy also means restoring trust by bringing transparency, accountability, and faith back into government.
Edwards: With respect to safeguarding voting rights, Texas has been the national vanguard in the erosion of our basic democratic rights for years. With the additional Supreme Court threat to Voting Rights looming and key elements such as preclearance having already been stripped away, our immediate attention to restore voting rights is absolutely necessary.
As a Member of Congress, I will make it my mission to promote a comprehensive approach to securing our democracy. I would be a tireless champion to restore the protections of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act – including the ability under Section 2 to create and protect coalition districts in the aftermath of the Fifth Circuit ruling – and would work hard to help pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Why are you the right person to build upon the legacy of past District 18 leaders?
Menefee: Because I’m not just a talker, I’m a fighter who wins. People in this district are tired of promises with no record to back them up. They want someone they can trust to go to Congress and actually get things done. I’ve already delivered.
When Trump cut $10.5 million in healthcare funding, I sued and got that money back for our communities. When Ken Paxton tried to throw out our communities’ votes after an election, I beat him in court. When MAGA Republicans passed laws banning women from making their own decisions over their bodies, I joined lawsuits to protect reproductive rights. I’ve defended democracy, healthcare, abortion access, and working families every step of the way.
That’s why Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett is asking voters to send me to Washington. It’s why former Congresswoman Erica Lee Carter, the daughter of the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, is backing my campaign. And it’s why labor unions, community advocates, and faith leaders across Houston are standing with me. Barbara Jordan stood up to Nixon. Mickey Leland fought world hunger. Sheila Jackson Lee championed the Violence Against Women Act. You honor their legacy by showing up, fighting hard, and delivering for the people. That’s what I’ve done, and it’s what I’ll keep doing in Congress.
Montiel: I deeply respect the history and legacy of leadership in District 18, but it is time to build a new chapter focused on unity, opportunity, and results. I am not a career politician. I am a real estate broker, journalist, mother, and advocate who has spent years serving and listening to our diverse communities. My life story, from Venezuela to the United States, represents resilience, faith, and the American dream. I will honor the past while leading our district toward a stronger, safer, and more prosperous future.
Edwards: We stand on the shoulders of great leaders like Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, Craig Washington, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Sylvester Turner who have created a legacy of fighting for people and for justice. That is why I am proud to have earned the endorsement of Alison Leland, Mickey Leland’s widow.
I believe the best way to honor their legacy is to build upon their work by standing up and fighting for justice no matter what the consequences may be and restoring the community’s vote and amplifying the community’s voice and reengaging in the fight for justice.
In addition to preserving this legacy, with the next leg of the journey we must also forge a new path forward for the future of our district, one that meets today’s challenges with innovation, solutions and transformative results for the people of District 18 who have been disenfranchised for far too long.
Jones: The historic 18th Congressional District has always sent warriors to Congress: Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, Craig Washington, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Sylvester Turner. These are leaders who have faced struggle—racism, poverty, Jim Crow laws—and used that experience to fight for their constituents. That’s my story too.
I fought my way out of poverty in the hood, and I’ve been fighting for people ever since. I helped shut down Houston’s corrupt crime lab, helped extend Medicaid coverage for new mothers and their babies, and cut taxes for seniors and homeowners. My life experiences mirror the struggles the people of Texas 18 face under this Trump administration.
I’m a 30-year trial lawyer whose clients are everyday people—just like my constituents—who walk into my office with problems caused by people or systems more powerful than they are. My job is to fight back for them, and that’s what I do every day. I’ve drafted and passed legislation—and successfully navigated it through both the Texas House and Senate, and even through a Republican governor’s office. That means I know how to work across the aisle when appropriate—without ever selling out my Democratic principles or my street credibility.
I’ve also completed multiple full terms in elected office, never quitting mid-term to run for something else. And I’ve won 11 elections right here in Texas 18, while my opponents combined have won only three. The people of this district know me, trust me, and have consistently chosen me to fight for them—because I literally and figuratively have a track record of doing exactly that. Being a trial lawyer means being quick on your feet, prepared for battle, and unafraid to fight your own fights. I don’t hire other people to do it for me—I do it myself. That grit, that fearlessness, and that record of results are exactly what Texas 18 deserves in Congress. My 30 years of fighting for the people uniquely prepare me to fight for them there.
