U.S. Representative Christian Menefee defeated U.S. Representative Al Green on Tuesday in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, a race that was as much about generational change as it was about geography.
The matchup was a rare incumbent-on-incumbent clash sparked by Republican-led redistricting efforts that forced two sitting Democratic congressmen to compete for the same seat.
When the Associated Press called the race, Green trailed Menefee 31.1% to 68.9%. According to early voting results released by Harris County, where the bulk of the newly redrawn 18th District is located, Menefee received 70.4% of nearly 24,000 votes cast.
“Tonight belongs to the people of this district,” Menefee said in a statement Tuesday night. “You have shown up over and over, and every single time, you have chosen to fight for a better future for our communities. I do not take that for granted for one second. This is your victory, and I will spend every day in Washington making sure it means something.”
Menefee is an attorney by trade who, in 2020, became the youngest ever and first Black Harris County attorney. In January, Menefee won a special election to finish the term of Representative Sylvester Turner, who died in March 2025.
At just 38 years old, his rise through both local and federal politics has been swift, and Tuesday’s result cements him as a significant figure in Texas’ Democratic future.
Green, 78, has served in the House since 2005 and has become known for his long floor speeches and repeated attempts to impeach President Donald Trump. Last year, Green was ejected from Trump’s address to Congress after repeatedly interrupting and waving his cane at the president, an incident that saw him censured by the House of Representatives.
The district the two men competed for carries deep historical significance. Texas’ 18th Congressional District has a majority Black voter population and is one of the deepest blue seats in Texas.
Texas Republicans forced the rare incumbent-against-incumbent clash when they drew a chunk of Green’s voters out of his 9th Congressional District in a mid-decade redistricting effort last summer to gerrymander the state’s congressional map for more GOP gains.
The move backfired in the sense that it pitted two Democrats against each other rather than weakening the district’s Democratic hold. Menefee is favored to win the general election, given the district’s heavily Democratic lean.
