January 1, Democrat Claims Texas Seat, Threatens GOP Margin

Wyatt’s Take

• Democrat Christian Menefee fills a long-empty Texas seat in Congress.
• His far-left win keeps the GOP majority on a razor-thin edge.
• Menefee is already vowing to target conservative leaders and policies.

After nearly a year without a voice, Texas’s 18th District just sent another Democrat to Washington. Christian Menefee won the special runoff and was sworn in this week.

Menefee takes over for the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, whose passing left the seat open since March 2025.

“It’s been more than 330 days since the people of the 18th Congressional District had representation, had a voice in Congress,” Menefee said after taking his oath. “When this body took on important votes about whether to cut [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, about whether to make it more difficult to access Medicaid, important issues, this district had no voice in Congress, so this one is for the 18th.”

The district, centered in Houston, is a safe seat for Democrats. They’ve never supported a GOP presidential candidate since the 1970s.

Menefee ran on promises like government-run health insurance and seeking to end ICE. He even wants to impeach the homeland security secretary.

He claimed a mandate to oppose the Trump administration at every turn:

“The results here tonight are a mandate for me to work as hard as I can to oppose your agenda, to fight back against where you’re taking this country, and to investigate your crimes,” Menefee said.

The GOP majority now stands at only 218–214. With the Democrats’ numbers locked up again, just two Republicans breaking ranks could be enough to block important bills.

The race was designed by top Texas Democrats, with Menefee endorsed by party big shots like Beto O’Rourke and Jasmine Crockett. He won with about 67% of the vote, but turnout was very low—less than 14,000 early and mail ballots cast.

Next, Menefee faces Amanda Edwards and longtime Rep. Al Green in a March 3 primary for the new district map. Green is famous for failed attempts to impeach Trump and switched districts after Texas changed the maps.

The long road to this seat started with a jam-packed November election. Only Menefee and Edwards made it to the runoff, and by January, just 24,000 total votes picked the winner.

Read more here

Wyatt Matters

Out here, folks want leaders who work for everyday Americans, not more D.C. games. Every vote matters now, and the heartland will be watching who stands for our values and who just plays party politics.