(AURN News) — Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee, the youngest and first African American to hold the post, is running for Texas’ 18th Congressional District — a seat once represented by Barbara Jordan and Sheila Jackson Lee, and most recently by the late Sylvester Turner.
“I’m running because I see our democracy, that we have loved for so long, slipping away,” Menefee said.
In an exclusive interview with AURN News, he recalled growing up in an America where “there were many nights where I would not have eaten were it not for the WIC program.”
“There were many days I would have been in school on an empty stomach, were it not for free lunch in our public schools,” he said.
“My mother would not have been able to finish her schooling if it were not for a helpful Pell Grant from the federal government,” he told AURN News.
Menefee credited “a thoughtful and compassionate and helpful government” with ensuring “that somebody who grew up in poverty had a shot to get to where they wanted to go.”
“That’s the America that I believe in, the one that helped me,” he said. “But when I look out at Washington, D.C., especially over the last few years, I see that Donald Trump is stripping away all of the things that has made America this fantastic place that gives everybody a fair shot at the American dream.”
Since 2021, Menefee has served as the chief civil lawyer for Harris County, overseeing all civil legal matters for the nation’s third most-populous county. His office represents the county government in lawsuits, advises elected officials and departments, and brings civil actions involving consumer protection, environmental enforcement and voting rights.
“That’s exactly what I’ve done as Harris County Attorney,” Menefee said. “I’ve been on the forefront of voting rights litigation right here, filing lawsuits against the Governor of the state of Texas and winning, filing lawsuits to protect our elections in local government in Harris County against Greg Abbott and winning.”
“And most recently, when the Trump administration issued orders to lay off hundreds of thousands of folks throughout our country and to cut trillions of dollars in federal funding to local governments, I joined a group of folks, sued him and got some early wins in that case.”
“It’s about having that same fighting spirit that has lasted for decades in this district, and carrying it forward with the issues of today,” he said.
A University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs survey of 400 likely voters showed Menefee and fellow Democrat Amanda Edwards tied at 19%. Republican Carmen Maria Montiel and Democrat Jolanda Jones were next in line, each receiving 14% support.
“We’re going to go nearly a year without representation,” Menefee said, criticizing Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to set the special election for November instead of sooner.
“That means that if there’s flooding during hurricane season, we will have no member of Congress to work with FEMA to get resources right to our communities,” he said.
“That means that when there are bills that go for the House floor, we will have no member of Congress to cast a ballot.”
“There are certain red lines, things that we have to stand firm on, that we will not negotiate — we will not negotiate our voting rights, we will not negotiate our health care, we will not negotiate our civil rights here in this country,” Menefee said.
“So I plan to work with the folks who are willing to work with me, but there’s a time to collaborate and there’s a time to be the opposition. I plan to do both as effectively as I can and I will build the relationships necessary to build the bridges to collaborate when it is possible.”
For Menefee, the race is about protecting the ideals that shaped his life — and continuing the district’s legacy as a voice for Houston in Washington.
Click play to listen to the AURN News report from Jamie Jackson:
The post Christian Menefee Gains Momentum in Crowded Race for Texas’ 18th Congressional District appeared first on American Urban Radio Networks.
