Christian Menefee, a first-term congressman sworn in just this year, has defeated Al Green in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas' 18th Congressional District, marking an unexpected upset in a race that pitted two sitting House members against each other.
Menefee secured 46 percent of the vote in the March 3 primary to Green's 44 percent, triggering a runoff after neither candidate reached the majority threshold required to win outright. The freshman representative ultimately prevailed in the head-to-head contest that followed, according to NBC News projections.
The matchup stemmed from Republican-led redistricting that reshaped Texas' political map. Green's original district, the 9th, was redrawn to favor Republicans, forcing the 78-year-old congressman to seek reelection in the heavily Democratic Houston-based 18th District. Menefee, 38, had won that seat through a special election following the death of Democrat Sylvester Turner earlier this year.
Green had anchored his campaign on opposition to President Donald Trump, a stance that defined much of his congressional career. The 12-term incumbent has pushed repeatedly for Trump's impeachment and was removed from the House chamber during presidential addresses in both this year and 2025. Menefee similarly made confronting Trump central to his message, citing lawsuits his office filed against the administration while serving as Harris County attorney.
The primary battle revealed a split over campaign finance between the two candidates. Menefee benefited from more than $5 million in outside spending from a cryptocurrency-aligned super PAC called Protect Progress, which featured ads from outgoing Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Green, a vocal critic of megadonor influence, contrasted sharply with his opponent on the issue. Menefee has stated he supports changing campaign finance law to prohibit super PACs, despite their clear assistance in his victory.
The district has weathered extraordinary turnover in recent years. Longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee died in July 2024, leaving the seat vacant until her daughter, Erica Lee Carter, was sworn in that November. Turner's sudden death months after taking office in January created another disruption, leaving the position empty for much of the past two years.
The 18th District has sent a Black representative to Congress continuously since 1973, beginning with Barbara Jordan, the first Black woman from the South elected to the House.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Green's loss signals that even deep seniority and fiery Trump opposition aren't immune to the forces reshaping Democratic primaries, and crypto money is now a real player in House races."
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