Christian Menefee (D) and Amanda Edwards (D) are the candidates in the runoff general election for Texas' 18th Congressional District on Jan. 31, 2026.

Menefee and Edwards advanced to the runoff after no candidate received an outright majority in the special election on Nov. 4, 2025. In that election, Menefee received 28.9% of the vote and Edwards received 25.6%. Candidates from all parties ran in the Nov. 4 election.

The winner of this election will be the fourth person to represent the district since 2024 and will serve the remainder of former Rep. Sylvester Turner's term through January 2027. Turner died on March 5, 2025.

Former Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D) represented the district from 1995 until she died in July 2024. On Nov. 5, 2024, Erica Lee Carter (D) won the special election to fill the vacancy, and Sylvester Turner (D) won the general election. Carter represented the district from Nov. 12, 2024, to Jan. 3, 2025, when Turner assumed office.

In August 2025, the Texas Legislature voted to redraw the boundaries of all 38 of the state's congressional districts. Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed the new map into law on Aug. 29, 2025. As of December 2025, litigation over the new maps is still ongoing. This election will take place within the boundaries of the old district. Click here to learn more about redistricting in Texas ahead of the 2026 elections.

Menefee was elected Harris County Attorney in 2020. Menefee's campaign website says he "has been engaged in the national legal fight against Trump—challenging his administration’s efforts to cut funding for life-saving medical research and deny birthright citizenship to immigrant families" and that he is running because "Trump and his allies are making life harder for everyday Americans—rolling back voting rights, attacking reproductive freedom, and rigging the economy for billionaires." Former U.S. Rep. Erica Lee Carter (D), U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), U.S. Rep. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (D-Texas), former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), and former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) endorsed Menefee.

Edwards is an attorney, nonprofit founder, and former intern for Jackson Lee. Edwards was elected at-large to the Houston City Council in 2015 and was a member of the council from 2016 to 2020. Edwards' campaign website says she is "laser-focused on delivering transformative results for the community, from lowering the price of groceries, building better schools, roads, and homes, protecting our healthcare and social security, and standing up to the Trump administration." U.S. Reps. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.) and Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.) endorsed Edwards.

Here's where the candidate's fundraising totals stand through Oct. 15, 2025:

• Menefee raised $1.5 million and spent $1.1 million
• Edwards raised $1.3 million and spent $936,000

According to the Texas Tribune's Natalia Contreras, "The 18th Congressional District, which includes inner Houston and surrounding Harris County areas, is home to more than 760,000 people. It was shaped by redistricting that followed the 1965 Voting Rights Act — signed into law by president Lyndon B. Johnson — and deliberately crafted to strengthen minority representation in Houston."

Menefee completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Click here to read their responses.