Overview
- Early returns show Acting Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee at 32.44% and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards at 25.15%, with State Rep. Jolanda Jones around 19%.
- Because no candidate reached a majority, the top two advance to a runoff expected early next year, with the exact date to be announced by the governor.
- The winner will serve through January 2027 and will face a rapid decision on entering the March 2026 primary, which approaches just weeks after the runoff.
- The special election is being conducted under the old district lines, while a federal court reviews challenges to a new map that could reshape the 2026 contests.
- The 18th District has been vacant since Rep. Sylvester Turner’s death in March, after a delayed special election call that Democrats criticized as benefiting the GOP’s narrow U.S. House majority.