Tag Archives: CD18

Initial thoughts on the 2026 primaries

We don’t have full turnout numbers yet, but as of Wednesday some 363,826 votes were cast in the Democratic primary for Senate in Harris County, while there were 197,389 votes cast on the Republican side. About 140K votes were cast … Continue reading

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2026 primary results: Harris County

Going to bullet point this one, with updates to come later, as most Election Day votes are still out as I write this: – Christian Menefee and Al Green appear headed to a runoff in CD18. Menefee had a sizeable … Continue reading

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All of my primary interviews and judicial Q&As for the 2026 primary

All in one convenient location, sorted by what kind of race it is, including today’s bonus interview. Give a listen to the candidates of interest and pay attention to those judicial races. Also, too, as an added bonus, my pal … Continue reading

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UH/Hobby poll: Menefee 52, Green 28

Very interesting. U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee holds a commanding lead over U.S. Rep. Al Green in the Democratic primary for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, according to a new University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs poll. The survey, released … Continue reading

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A few words about CD18 turnout

I feel I need to say something about this, which ran just before the CD18 runoff. Early-voting turnout in the runoff election for Texas’ 18th Congressional District is under 4% so far, highlighting the challenges in voter participation as the district … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: Menefee and more

Here’s another batch of Chron endorsements to run down. Don’t just vote for him because he’s young. Christian Menefee wins more fights than Al Green. Normally, newly elected members of Congress get sworn in as part of a cohort, a … Continue reading

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Amanda Edwards suspends her campaign

Not a surprise. Former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards is suspending her full-term campaign for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, a week after suffering a decisive loss in the special runoff election for the remainder of the term. Because of … Continue reading

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January 2026 campaign finance reports: Senate and Congress

PREVIOUSLY: Harris County Houston We’re heading into the primary with some wind at our backs. We’ve still got a large field of candidates to follow, but that will get whittled down for April and again for July. The October 2025 … Continue reading

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Right back to the campaign trail in CD18

“Quick turnaround” doesn’t do it justice. 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 … Continue reading

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Menefee wins CD18 runoff, Rehmet wins SD09

The early Chron headline hedged things, but Christian Menefee was leading Amanda Edwards by almost exactly a two to one margin after early voting – he had 66.64% to her 33.36% as of the first results drop. That total only … Continue reading

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Final early vote totals for the CD18 runoff

Here they are, but they come with an asterisk: Important Notice: Daily in-person check-in numbers will not be available for the court-ordered extended early voting dates of January 28 and January 29. Final voter participation numbers will be reflected in … Continue reading

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Lawsuit successfully filed to add back early voting days for CD18

Seems reasonable. A pair of voting rights organizations filed a lawsuit Sunday seeking an emergency court order to extend early voting in Harris County past Tuesday after severe weather forced the closure of polling locations in the runoff election for Texas’ … Continue reading

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No CD18 early voting on Sunday

From the inbox: Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth announces changes to voting operations for the Congressional District 18 (CD-18) Special Runoff Election due to severe winter weather conditions. All early vote centers will remain open today, Friday, January 23, and … Continue reading

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Early voting for the CD18 runoff starts today

From the County Clerk website, the first election of our busy 2026 calendar is now underway. January 31, 2026 – Special Runoff Election for Congressional District 18 Early Vote Centers will be open from Wednesday, January 21 to Tuesday, January … Continue reading

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Fombonne named County Attorney

White smoke emerges from the chamber of Commissioners Court. Jonathan Fombonne, first assistant county attorney to Christian Menefee, was named Harris County attorney Thursday. The appointment came more than nine months after Menefee technically resigned to run for Congressional District … Continue reading

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An opening statement on the 2026 elections

This is going to be a somewhat long post about the upcoming elections and my coverage of candidates in the primaries. I’ve got some ground to cover, so settle in. At this time, we have the following elections on the … Continue reading

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CD18 runoff poll: Menefee 43, Edwards 30

From the inbox: With just over a month until early voting begins in the runoff election for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, a new poll from nationally-respected Lake Research Partners shows Christian Menefee with a commanding lead in the runoff for … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: Jones for Edwards

Of interest. State Rep. Jolanda Jones has endorsed Amanda Edwards in the runoff election for Texas’ 18th Congressional District. Jones is backing the former Houston city council member as the race heads into its final weeks, urging her own supporters … Continue reading

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Salinas, Jefferson Patterson headed to victory

As of 10:26 last night, Alejandra Salinas was leading Dwight Boykins in Harris County by about 5,500 votes. You can see the current unofficial results from Harris County here and the final results from Fort Bend County here. Boykins dominated … Continue reading

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Today is Runoff Day

From the inbox: The Harris County Clerk’s Office reminds registered voters that tomorrow is Election Day for the December 13, 2025, Joint Runoff Elections. This is your final opportunity to make your voice heard and help decide the outcomes in … Continue reading

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Final December runoff early voting: Is anger the key?

An interesting take on the Houston City Council At Large #4 runoff, for which early voting ended yesterday. Salinas ran on a decidedly progressive platform for voters dissatisfied with status quo politics — advocating for legal action to fight against … Continue reading

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Deadline Day roundup, part 1

I’m putting Part 1 in the headline because there’s always some delays between filings at county headquarters and what you can see on the SOS candidate filings page. I was waiting on the Jasmine Crockett announcement as I began this, … Continue reading

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CM Kamin files for County Attorney

Not exactly a surprise. Houston City Council Member Abbie Kamin filed to run for Harris County attorney Friday, confirming rumors that the District C council member was seeking to replace Christian Menefee as the county’s top civil litigator. Her filing … Continue reading

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SCOTUS upholds the new Congressional map

Shocked, shocked I am. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Texas Republicans’ new GOP-heavy congressional map, handing the party a key victory as it heads into what is predicted to be a bruising midterm cycle. In a 6-3 ruling, … Continue reading

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Runoff early voting Day One: Getting started

For a variety of reasons, I probably won’t follow the daily EV reports for the runoff closely, but I will at least keep an eye on them. First, though, this bit from the Chron story on the start of early … Continue reading

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December runoff early voting begins today

Time to vote again. Early Vote Centers will be open from Monday, December 1 – Tuesday, December 9 (Mon-Sat: 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Sun: 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ) Vote Centers will accept voters from 7 a.m. to 7 … Continue reading

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Redistricting plaintiffs ask SCOTUS to put the old map back in

As expected. The original civil rights groups who challenged Texas’ new gerrymandered maps back in August of this year have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a lower court ruling that would temporarily block the use of the redistricted … Continue reading

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SCOTUS puts temporary pause on redistricting ruling

This is just until they can make a ruling. Texas is back to using its 2025 congressional map, at least temporarily, after Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito granted the state’s request to pause a court ruling that would have required … Continue reading

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Redistricting ruling roundup

It’s that time again… We’ll start with the big one. A decision on Texas’ congressional map now before the U.S. Supreme Court could ultimately decide which party will hold control of the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm … Continue reading

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Still no replacement County Attorney

Not yet, but I expect it will happen soon. Commissioners failed to appoint someone to fill Christian Menefee’s seat Thursday, leaving the future of the county attorney’s office uncertain. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo scheduled a special session for Thursday … Continue reading

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So who might be running for what now?

There’s a scramble going on, that’s for sure. In August, when the Texas Legislature passed a new congressional map intended to yield five additional seats for the GOP, a mass of Republicans stepped forward to run in the newly gerrymandered … Continue reading

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Federal court blocks Texas mid-decade gerrymander

Wow. Texas cannot use its new congressional map for the 2026 election and will instead need to stick with the lines passed in 2021, a three-judge panel ruled Tuesday. The decision is a major blow for Republicans, in Texas and … Continue reading

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CD18 runoff set for January 31

Mark your calendars. Gov. Greg Abbott has set Jan. 31 as the date of the special election runoff for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, meaning the Houston-based seat will remain vacant for over two more months. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee … Continue reading

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Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin?

Someone’s pushing for it. Houston City Council Member Abbie Kamin is garnering support to potentially be chosen by Harris County leadership as the new interim county attorney as they contend with a potential opening. Kamin has gathered a list of … Continue reading

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