Democratic Rep. Al Green unseated by Rep. Christian Menefee in Texas primary with two incumbents

Freshman Rep. Christian Menefee defeated longtime Rep. Al Green in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, NBC News projects, after a rare incumbent-on-incumbent matchup sparked by Republican-led redistricting efforts. The redraw of the state’s political map pitted one of the newest members of the House Democratic caucus against one of the longer-serving incumbents in the chamber. Menefee got 46% of the primary vote to Green’s 44% in the first round on March 3, pushing the race to a runoff since neither got majority support. Menefee, 38, was sworn in to Congress earlier in 2026 after winning a special election to replace the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, a Democrat who died last year. Green, 78, opted to run in the deep-blue, Houston-based 18th District after his 9th District was redrawn to make it more heavily Republican, a key part of the GOP plan to gain more seats in Texas in 2026. Green, who is seeking a 12th term in Congress, has been a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump, frequently pushing for his impeachment. Green was ejected from the House chamber during Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this year and in 2025 as well. Both candidates made standing up to Trump a key issue. Menefee, who previously served as the Harris County attorney, pointed to lawsuits his office filed against the Trump administration as proof. Menefee also benefitted from more than $5 million in outside spending from a super PAC aligned with cryptocurrency industry leaders, Protect Progress. Outgoing Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate earlier this year, appeared in one of the group’s ads supporting Menefee. Green has harshly criticized the flood of megadonor money, while Menefee has said he thinks campaign finance laws should be changed to ban super PACs. The district has seen two sitting representatives die in 2024 and 2025, leaving it vacant for most of the last two years. Longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s death in July 2024 left it empty until her daughter Erica Lee Carter was sworn in to complete the remainder of her term in November of that year. Turner then took office in January 2025, but died months later. The district has had a Black representative for more than 50 years, starting with Barbara Jordan in 1973, who was the first Black woman from the South elected to the House.