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Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee intends to run for the congressional seat left vacant by the death of Democratic U.S. Rep. and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, according to a Saturday filing with the Federal Election Commission.
Menefee filed his intent to run as a Democrat for the seat representing the 18th Congressional District on Saturday evening, hours after a memorial service was held in West Houston for Turner.
Menefee is 37 years old and currently serves as chief government lawyer for Texas’ most populous county.
Menefee did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
Elected officials who announce their candidacy in any special, general or primary election automatically resign their position if they have more than a year and 30 days left of their term, according to a provision of the Texas Constitution. But Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet declared a special election to fill Turner’s seat. Menefee was just reelected to a second four-year term in November.
The race to replace Turner will mark the second time within a year that the coveted seat is up for election. Turner filled the spot vacated by former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died after a battle with pancreatic cancer after having served in the seat for decades.
Menefee was first elected to county office in Nov. 2020 at 32 years old, becoming the youngest person and first African American elected to the position, according to his office’s website.
As the chief civil lawyer for Harris County government, Menefee has fought legal battles over environmental issues and sought to address the disparate impacts of pollution on communities of color. He has also been a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump’s executive orders and signed an amicus brief in a federal lawsuit challenging Trump’s order to terminate birthright citizenship.
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