Democratic Reps. Al Green and Christian Menefee will advance to a runoff election following Tuesday's primary in Texas' newly redrawn 18th Congressional District, according to projections from multiple news outlets.
Key Takeaways
Democratic Reps. Al Green and Christian Menefee will advance to a runoff in the race for Texas' 18th Congressional District, following a primary where neither secured enough votes to win outright.
- Democratic Reps. Al Green and Christian Menefee head to runoff election for Texas’ newly redrawn 18th Congressional District.
- Neither won more than 50% of the vote in Tuesday night’s primary election.
- The district is heavily Democratic, meaning the winner of the primary is likely to win the seat in November.
- Green has been a vocal antagonist against President Trump and was recently ejected from his State of the Union address for protesting a racist video posted by Trump.
The race pitted two incumbents against each other after redistricting efforts merged parts of their respective districts. Neither Green nor Menefee secured more than 50% of the vote required to win outright in the primary election held on Tuesday. The runoff is scheduled for May 26.
Menefee, a former Harris County Attorney, was elected to represent the district in a January special election to replace Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died last year. Green has represented some iteration of the 9th District since 2005 and decided to switch districts after his home and most of his current constituents were redrawn into the 18th under Texas’ new congressional map.
The Houston-area district is heavily Democratic, meaning the winner of the primary runoff will almost certainly win the general election in November. The race has highlighted generational differences between Green, who is 79 years old and a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, and Menefee, who is 37.
Green's tenure in Congress has been marked by his frequent clashes with Trump. During Mr. Trump's speech before the joint session of Congress in 2025, Green was escorted from the House chamber after interrupting the speech, leading to a censure vote. More recently, during Trump's State of the Union last week, Green was ejected again for holding a sign that read "Black People Aren't Apes," referencing a video posted by Trump on Truth Social depicting former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes.
Menefee has framed his campaign as a way to secure Democratic interests and carry the district into the future. He has focused on issues like affordability and defending democracy, while Green has campaigned on his seniority in Congress and his record on civil rights and voting protections.
How this summary was created
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