Harris County Attorney and Congressional Candidate Menefee Makes Public Call for Special Election

On X, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee pressed Texas Governor Greg Abbott to schedule a special election for the empty Congressional District 18 seat, left vacant after Representative Sylvester Turner’s passing on March 5, 2025. Yet, Menefee, who declared his candidacy for the seat on March 17, 2025, has sidestepped Article 16, Section 65 of the Texas Constitution. This provision requires elected officials with over one year and 30 days left in their term—like Menefee, reelected in November 2024—to step down upon announcing a run for another office. Rather than resigning, he continues to hold his taxpayer-supported county attorney position, collecting a salary while campaigning. The Harris County Commissioners Court, dominated by a 4-1 Democratic majority, has facilitated this by declining to name a replacement. On March 27, 2025, Republican Commissioner Tom Ramsey proposed appointing Jacqueline Lucci Smith to succeed Menefee, but the court rejected the idea, effectively permitting Menefee to chase his congressional ambitions without sacrificing his current role or income.