Christian Menefee
Democrat Christian Menefee filed his application on March 15 and announced his campaign on March 17, after resigning from his position as Harris County Attorney.
Raised in Texas’ 18th Congressional District, Menefee became the youngest and first Black Harris County Attorney in 2020, where he frequently challenged the state’s Republican leaders on voting rights, according to his campaign’s website.
Menefee’s campaign centers around investing in education, protecting abortion rights and reproductive rights, criminal justice reform, expanding affordable health care and pushing for cleaner air and water. He has received endorsements from individuals such as Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Erica Lee Carter, the daughter of former Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, according to their social media.
Isaiah Martin
Isaiah Martin announced his candidacy on March 17. He previously ran for the seat in 2023. A former senior advisor for Sheila Jackson Lee, Martin is the youngest candidate in the race so far at 26 years old.
Martin attended the University of Houston, where he founded #ForTheStudents and spearheaded initiatives that tackled issues such as campus voting access, food insecurity and sexual assault support, according to his campaign’s website. His campaign centers around health care access, advocacy for underrepresented communities and fighting back against President Donald Trump’s policies such as cuts to social security.
Amanda Edwards
Former At-Large Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards announced her candidacy on March 19, having previously run for the position twice. Edwards served on Houston City Council from 2016-20, focusing on small businesses owned by women and minorities in Houston, according to her campaign’s website.
Edwards also served on the Transportation, Technology and Infrastructure Committee, and previously led the High Capacity Transit Task Force for the eight-county region through her service on the Houston-Galveston Area Council Transportation Policy Council, according to the website. Edwards’ campaign has championed her as a leader who can focus on economic opportunities, health care and fighting back against Trump’s policies, according to a March 19 X post.
James Joseph
James Joseph announced his candidacy on March 19. Joseph previously worked for state Senator Borris Miles as director of civic engagement and community outreach, according to his LinkedIn.
“I am running for Congress because our district deserves a leader who will fight for working families, economic justice, health care access and educational opportunities for all,” Joseph said in his announcement. “This community shaped who I am, and I am committed to ensuring that every resident has a voice in Washington D.C.”
Joseph’s campaign focuses on expanding economic opportunities, improving public education, strengthening health care access and addressing systemic injustices that hinder progress.
More details
Five more candidates also filed for the open seat March 21-24, including Democrat Kivan Polmis, Republican Cyrus Sanja, Independent Derrell Sherrod Turner (of no relation to Sylvester Turner), Democrat Robert Slater and Independent Khristopher Beal.
Stayed tuned
Although candidates have begun campaigning for the empty seat, Gov. Greg Abbott has not called a special election as of March 24. According to Texas’ election code, a special election must be held at least 36 days after Abbott makes the call.
Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor, said the governor has until the end of this week—March 23-29—to call for the May election. If the deadline passes, Abbott could either wait until the November election or hold an emergency election that can be held at any date before November.
"There might be a lot of reasons why he wants to wait," Rottinghaus said. "It could be that they want to give the candidates more time to campaign and more time to jump into the race. It also could be more partisan strategic argument where the governor can delay having a member represent that seat, and it gives the Republicans a slight advantage in terms of the balance of power in D.C."
Rottinghaus said Abbott has previously delayed calling an election in the past when Sheila Jackson Lee died, with Abbott saying he wanted to let the mourning period pass before he made a decision.
