Democrat Christian Menefee, formerly Houston’s Harris County attorney, won a special congressional election in a left-leaning Texas congressional district that has been vacant for nearly a year.
The Associated Press reports that Menefee defeated former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, a fellow Democrat, in Saturday’s runoff election to fill the seat left vacant when Democratic Representative Sylvester Turner died last March.
Menefee’s victory means Republicans’ thin House majority — they currently control the chamber 218-213 — will shrink by one seat when Menefee is sworn into Congress.
Fears of Democratic Takeover Rise as House Republicans Join Fragile Majority
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee has been endorsed by the Political Action Committee of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
(Fox News)
Sylvester, who was a longtime state legislator, served two terms as mayor of Houston before winning the election to Congress in 2024, to fill the seat of the late Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
While Texas redrew its congressional maps for the 2026 midterms, as part of a high-stakes redistricting battle between President Donald Trump and Republicans against Democrats, the special election used the state’s current district lines.
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Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas died on March 5, 2025.
The addition of another lawmaker to the ranks of the House Democrats will give more headaches to the Republican leadership in the chamber.
“It would be better if they were here,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said recently of his members. “I told everyone, and not jokingly, I said, no adventure sports, no risk taking, take your vitamins. Stay healthy and be here.”
Fears of Democratic Takeover Rise as House Republicans Join Fragile Majority
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., walks from the chamber to speak to reporters after the final vote to end the longest government shutdown in history, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.
And the office of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer confirmed that he is advising members that “outside of life and death circumstances,” they expect Republican lawmakers to be on Capitol Hill.
Three more special congressional elections are on tap this year.
Eleven candidates are running in the February 5th Democratic Party primary in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.
The seat was left vacant after the now New Jersey Gov. Mikey Sherrill he resigned after winning the November gubernatorial election in the Garden State.
Then-Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill left Congress in November after winning election as governor of New Jersey.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, the only Republican who filed for the special election, which will be held on April 16.
The suburban district in northern New Jersey leans to the left, with Sherrill winning re-election in 2024 by 15 points, the same margin she carried the district in the November gubernatorial contest.
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But then-Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by just eight points in the 2024 presidential election, giving the GOP some hope of possibly flipping the seat.
In a special election in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, 22 candidates, including 17 Republicans, are running in the race to succeed former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The MAGA firebrand and one-time best ally of the Trump House four weeks ago retired from Congress a year before her term was up.
Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from Congress on January 5, 2026.
According to Georgia state law, all candidates will appear on the same ballot. If no contestant reaches 50% of the votes, a runoff election will be held on April 7th between the top two finishers.
The district in northwest Georgia is solidly Republican, with Greene winning re-election in 2024 by nearly 30 points and Trump carrying the district by 37 points.
California Primary Day for the 2026 elections is scheduled for June 2, and this year will also include a special election primary in the state’s 1st Congressional District, in the race to fill a seat left vacant by the recent unexpected death of Republican Doug LaMalfa. The general election will take place on August 4.
The district, in northeastern California, is solidly Republican.
Republican Doug LaMalfa of California died on January 6, 2026.
Similar to Texas, California is also changing its congressional maps as part of the redistricting wars, but the special election will be held under the current district lines.
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The White House and congressional Republicans criticized Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision not to hold a special election to fill LaMalfa’s seat until August, six months after the late congressman’s death.
But Democrats similarly complained that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas did not schedule the special election to fill Turner’s seat until eight months after the late lawmaker died.
Elizabeth Elkind of Fox News contributed to this story.
Original article source: The already fragile House GOP majority will continue to shrink after the Democrats’ victory at the ballot box