Overview
- Menefee defeated Amanda Edwards in Saturday’s all-Democratic runoff, with the race called around 10 p.m. CT as returns showed a roughly 67% to 33% lead.
- Once he is sworn in, Republicans’ House edge will narrow to 218–214, though the seating timeline is uncertain based on recent special-election precedents.
- Winter storms shut early voting sites, a judge extended voting by two days, and those additional-day ballots are provisional and slated for release on Feb. 6.
- The special election ran under the old map, but the March 3 contest for the full 2027 term will use Texas’ new districts, and both Menefee and Edwards filed to run alongside Al Green.
- The seat had been vacant for nearly a year after Rep. Sylvester Turner’s death; the Houston-based district is a longstanding Democratic stronghold with a history of Black representation.