Christian Menefee, top civil attorney for Harris County government, files for Sylvester Turner’s congressional seat

“Christian Menefee, top civil attorney for Harris County government, files for Sylvester Turner’s congressional seat” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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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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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/16/christian-menefee-congress-sylvester-turner/.

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SUMMARY: The Crabapple wildfire in Gillespie County, Texas, is now 40% contained, having burned approximately 9,500 acres. Residents near the fire, which has been exacerbated by dry conditions and high winds, are urged to evacuate. Shelter is available at Zion Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg for evacuees. Although conditions have improved slightly, critical fire weather is expected to continue, with increased winds predicted for the coming days. Governor Abbott announced FEMA’s approval for financial assistance to help cover firefighting costs, with eligible reimbursements of up to 75%. Fire crews are focusing on creating containment lines and addressing hot spots.

Crews have made progress in containing the spread of the Crabapple fire in Gillespie County on Sunday. The bad news is conditions are about to get worse for those working to stop the fire’s spread.

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The NTSB will give an update on the deadly crash on I-35 in Austin on Thursday night. Five people, including 2 children, were killed in the 17-vehicle crash.

Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, was arrested and charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault.

On Saturday, the NTSB said there was a connection to a company in Dallas.

FOX 4 News is a FOX-owned station serving Dallas-Fort Worth and all of North Texas.

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