ELECTION UPDATE: With more than 95% of the votes counted, the Associated Press shows Menefee in a narrow lead with 46% of the vote, and Green has 44%. The race advanced to a runoff after neither candidate breached the required 50% threshold.
Redistricting reshapes Texas’ 18th District as Al Green faces Christian Menefee in a high-stakes Democratic primary showdown.
Voters head to the polls today in Texas for a closely watched Democratic primary that could mark the end of an era for longtime U.S. Rep. Al Green.
Green, 78, has represented Houston-area voters in Congress for two decades and has become nationally known — particularly among Democrats — for his vocal opposition to former President Donald Trump. He drew national headlines during two State of the Union addresses in which he was removed from the chamber after protesting and interrupting proceedings.
But today’s primary is less about protest politics and more about maps.
Green is facing U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, a younger Democrat who won a special election earlier this year to represent the 18th Congressional District following the deaths of longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in 2024 and her successor, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, in 2025.
The matchup is the direct result of a mid-decade redistricting push by the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature last summer. Lawmakers redrew congressional lines in a way that significantly reshaped Houston-area districts.
Green’s former district was altered to include more conservative voters, making it more favorable to Republicans in a general election. Rather than run in a newly configured district that analysts say leaned more MAGA, Green moved into the reshaped 18th District — where Menefee had just secured his seat.
That decision set up an unusual incumbent-versus-incumbent Democratic primary.
What The Polls Show
A recent University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs poll of 1,000 likely Democratic primary voters showed Menefee leading Green 52% to 28%, with two other candidates far behind and 10% undecided.
The numbers reflect how dramatically redistricting shifted the political landscape.
Nearly two-thirds of likely Democratic voters in the new 18th District previously lived in Green’s old 9th District. Another 28% came from the old 18th District — Menefee’s political base.
Among voters who came from Green’s former district, the race is relatively competitive, with Menefee leading 43% to 36%. But among voters who previously lived in the old 18th District, Menefee dominates 70% to 13%.
Political analysts say geography — not ideology — is the central factor.
Both candidates are broadly well liked. The same poll found roughly 80% of Democratic primary voters have favorable views of Menefee, compared with 79% for Green. That suggests the race is less about dissatisfaction and more about familiarity, organization and coalition-building.
Who Is Christian Menefee?
Menefee, 36, is a former Harris County attorney who built a reputation for filing lawsuits challenging state and federal policies he argued harmed local residents. His legal background and high-profile advocacy gave him visibility heading into the special election earlier this year.
Winning that race gave Menefee the advantages of incumbency — fundraising networks, recent voter contact lists and the visibility that comes with already holding the office.
He has framed his campaign around generational change and continuity after two years of instability in the district’s representation. The 18th District saw rapid turnover following Jackson Lee’s death and Turner’s passing, leaving voters seeking stability.
Menefee’s campaign has emphasized energy, legal experience and what it calls an ability to “fight and win.”
Why Green Is Struggling
Green remains a respected figure in Houston politics and maintains a loyal base among longtime constituents. His national profile — especially among progressive Democrats — has elevated his name recognition beyond Texas.
But redistricting diluted his core voter base and placed him in a district where a significant share of voters are more familiar with Menefee.
Closing a double-digit polling gap on Election Day would require either a surge in turnout from Green’s traditional supporters or a late-breaking shift among undecided voters — something analysts say is difficult in a race this defined by geography.
Today’s primary will determine whether Houston voters choose experience and seniority or generational change shaped by a newly drawn political map.
For Green, the outcome may hinge less on his national visibility and more on how redistricting quietly reshaped the ground beneath his political career