Christian Menefee defeats longtime Democratic Rep. Al Green in Texas House district, CBS News projects
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- Rep. Christian Menefee defeated incumbent Rep. Al Green in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas' newly redrawn 18th Congressional District, according to CBS News projections.
- The district was reshaped due to gerrymandering by the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature, which created additional seats favorable to Republicans, though the 18th District remains reliably Democratic.
- Menefee, who has served since February after replacing the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, emphasized that his victory belongs to the people and pledged to represent their interests in Washington.
- Green, who has represented the 9th District since 2005, ran in the 18th District after redistricting made his former district more Republican-leaning; age differences between the 78-year-old Green and 38-year-old Menefee were a notable factor in the race.
- Menefee led the March primary with 46% of the vote but did not secure a majority, leading to the runoff where he ultimately prevailed.