Reps. Al Green and Christian Menefee will head to a Democratic major runoff for Texas’ redrawn 18th District, in accordance to a projection from NCS’s Decision Desk.
Neither Green nor Menefee acquired greater than 50% of the vote required to win outright on Tuesday. The runoff between Green and Menefee will likely be on May 26.
The 18th District, within the Houston space, was with out constant illustration till about 30 days in the past, when Menefee gained a particular election runoff to change former Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in workplace final 12 months simply over two months into his time period. The runoff election occurred beneath the earlier district traces.
Green has represented some iteration of the ninth District since 2005. He determined to change districts after his dwelling and most of his present constituents have been redrawn into the 18th beneath Texas’ new congressional map after mid-decade redistricting.
Green is well-known for his fiery pushback towards President Donald Trump, typically drawing criticism from his personal get together. At final week’s State of the Union, he was escorted out simply minutes after the speech started for holding an indication studying “Black people aren’t apes!” That was the second 12 months in a row the congressman was faraway from the chamber for disrupting the speech, with Republicans and 10 Democrats later voting to censure him.
Menefee is the previous Harris County lawyer.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas state House Republicans kicked off what ended up being the primary domino in a nationwide mid-decade redistricting effort in August of final 12 months. Abbott finally signed into regulation a brand new map that aimed to give Republicans at the very least 5 extra House seats in 2026. The 18th District was made much more Democratic and absorbed a lot of the present ninth District, which turned Republican leaning.