“Quick turnaround” doesn’t do it justice.
Rep. Christian Menefee
With Saturday’s runoff decided, Texas’ 18th Congressional District will regain representation in Washington — though only briefly before the next campaign begins.
Former Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, 37, defeated former Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards, 44, by a 2-to-1 margin, becoming the 12th person to hold the historically Democratic seat.
Menefee’s victory ends a yearlong vacancy in the district, but offers little time to govern. He will be sworn in as he launches another campaign in a newly redrawn district with a crowded primary field.
Menefee said he expects to spend only limited time in Washington in the immediate weeks ahead, balancing congressional duties with the demands of another campaign.
“Two days at most,” he said. “The next election is in three weeks. I can’t miss the opportunity to meet constituents and voters, but at the same time I can’t miss votes.”
[…]
Under new district lines, the 18th Congressional District now incorporates much of the former 9th Congressional District, represented by U.S. Rep. Al Green, 77, since 2005. Green has already filed to run in the March Democratic primary, setting up a high-profile contest that will include Edwards and former defense contractor Gretchen Brown. The Republican primary will be between Elizabeth Vences and Ronald Dwayne Whitfield.
Although Menefee and Edwards have both said the Democratic primary should not be framed as a referendum on age, the race is widely viewed through a generational lens.
David Hogg, founder of the political action committee Leaders We Deserve that donated $125,000 to Menefee’s campaign, said voters are “crying out for new leadership” in Congress.
“At a time when our country is so desperately demanding new leadership, I believe it’s time for somebody new to lead,” Hogg said.
Asked whether a partial government shutdown could delay his swearing-in, Menefee said he hopes congressional leadership moves quickly.
“I think it would be reprehensible for this district to again be delayed its representation,” he said. “I hope that the speaker will swear me in so that we can get to work for the district.”
Barring future developments, I’ve cast my last vote in CD18. Remember that Amanda Edwards and a fourth candidate are also on the primary ballot, so not only does newly-elected Rep. Menefee have to hit the ground running in DC while still running back home, there’s a decent chance of a runoff for the nomination as well. I don’t know what the record is for longest involuntary continuous campaign, but Christian Menefee may be in the, um, running for it. The good news is that it will eventually end. Godspeed and good luck to the new residents of CD18 as they go with it.
UPDATE: This Trib story from today gets into this and more. I may return to it later.
I have been curious as to how the District 18 special election was set up concurrently with the primary election, considering the complications of different shapes and voters’ district assignments. I just took a look at the maps on the Tax Office website and the new Congressional districts are displayed. I also looked at my online voter registration record and my new Congressional District assignment is showing. Am I correct in inferring that a “switch has been flipped” to move from the previous setup to the new one?