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.



That’s too bad. Al has been vocal against Trump from day 1.
He’s not perfect. But at least he stood up to the insanity.