Harris County attorney Christian Menefee was sworn in as a member of the U.S. House on Monday, shrinking the Republican majority to a single vote as it approaches the midterms.
Menefee ran for the 18th Congressional district seat left vacant for nearly a year after the death of U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, a fellow Democrat, who had just won the office after serving as Houston’s mayor for eight years.
“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 being sworn in, The Hill reports.
Menefee ran against Democrat Amanda Edwards, an attorney and former member of Houston city council who garnered 32.5% of the vote compared to Menefee’s 67.5% landslide victory.
House Republicans are facing an even tighter margin for votes, with a 218-214 split, meaning if two GOP members cross the aisle, legislation cannot pass. The party is also bracing for a punishing midterm, when many observers expect it to lose the the House entirely.
Though Menefee’s win in the special election shrinks the GOP majority until November, Menefee is only serving out the remainder of Sylvester Turner’s term, meaning he will be forced to run again for the seat in the fall. However, the seat is still likely to remain a safe bet for the Democrats.
Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee represented the district from 1995 until she died in July 2024. On Nov. 5, 2024, Democratic U.S. Rep. Erica Lee Carter won the special election to fill the vacancy, and Turner later won the general election. However, he only served two months before his passing.
After Turner died last March, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott delayed holding a special election to fill the vacant seat. Meanwhile, Houston had no voice in crucial votes that impacted its communities, Menefee said.
“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 congressman said after his swearing in, The Hill reports.
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