Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has scheduled the runoff election to fill an open House seat in Houston for Jan. 31, nearly 11 months after the death of Democratic former Rep. Sylvester Turner.
The race in the 18th District features two Democrats: acting Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and former Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards. They were the top finishers among more than two dozen candidates who competed in a nonpartisan primary earlier this month. Menefee took 29 percent of the vote and Edwards 26 percent, far below the 50 percent required to avoid a runoff.
The winner of the runoff will serve the remainder of Turner’s term. Both Edwards and Menefee were critical of the Republican governor’s decision to delay the special election for nine months. (The seat was also vacant for months last year following the death of longtime Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.) Abbott has said the long lead time was needed to give Harris County election officials time to prepare.
