37-year-old Democrat Menefee wins election for US House

Democrat Christian Menefee has won a Texas special election for the United States House of Representatives.

Menefee’s victory in Saturday’s election will narrow Republicans’ already slender majority in the House.

Menefee, 37, a former Harris County attorney, and Amanda Edwards, 44, a former Houston city council member, were vying in a runoff to represent Texas’ 18th Congressional District, a solidly Democratic area encompassing much of the inner city of Houston and the surrounding region.

The election does not provide insight into which party might prevail in November’s midterm congressional election, according to Reuters.

In the 2024 presidential election, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris won the district over Republican Donald Trump by 69%-29%.

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But in a race for the Texas state Senate on Saturday, January 31, 2026, Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a special election, flipping a district that Trump had won by 17 percentage points in 2024.

“This victory is another sign that Democrats have the momentum heading into November,” the Democratic National Committee said in a statement.

The Texas secretary of state and the Republican Party in Texas did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on the state race.

In the U.S. House, Republicans hold a 218-213 majority. Democrats will insist upon a prompt swearing-in for Menefee, tightening the Republican lead to 218-214.

Three House vacancies in Georgia, New Jersey, and California are scheduled to be filled by special elections in March, April, and August, respectively.

The Star