Tonight, voters in Houston will choose a successor to former Houston mayor and longtime state Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in March 2025, two months into his term. Turner had been elected to Congress in 2024 after his predecessor, former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, also died in office in July 2024. Amanda Edwards, a former Houston City Councilwoman and three-time U.S. Senate candidate, will face Christian Menefee, the former Harris County Attorney, in the race.

The first round of voting held on November 4th saw Menefee capture around 28.90% (22,022) of the vote, with Edwards following with 25.55% (19,467) of the vote. Because the candidates share similar policy positions, the campaign has remained cordial, with both candidates rarely attacking each other and instead choosing to focus on President Trump and the Republican Party. Menefee carries a slew of endorsements from prominent Texas Democrats and local unions, while Edwards carries endorsements from some current Representatives.

A solid Democratic district that went Harris+40 in 2024, this seat will shift the House majority to 218–214, further weakening the Republicans’ already slim margin. The seat drew national attention after Governor Abbott faced intense Democratic criticism for delaying the special election, with Abbott citing election integrity concerns and Democrats accusing him of deliberately slow-walking the race to protect the GOP’s narrow House majority. Even after the election, Speaker Mike Johnson could strategically delay seating the winner to preserve his five-seat majority for as long as possible, as he previously did with Adelita Grijalva.

Whoever wins this race will immediately pivot to campaigning for the March 3rd primaries, where they will face a difficult challenge from longtime Rep. Al Green (TX-09), who has chosen to run for re-election in TX-18 after the state Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting placed many of his former constituents into the district under the new maps. Polls close at 8:00 p.m. ET.