Menefee, Christian D.

Christian Menefee was born April 18, 1988, and was sworn into the House of Representatives on February 2, 2026, after winning a special election runoff to fill the vacancy left by the death of Representative Sylvester Turner. A Democrat representing Texas's 18th Congressional District centered in Houston, Menefee previously served as Harris County Attorney, a position he won in 2020 as the youngest and first Black person to hold the office. Before his legal career, he worked as a commercial litigator in Houston after earning his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He is the first in his family to graduate college, having earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio with the help of a Pell Grant.

Menefee serves on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. During his tenure as Harris County Attorney, he built a record of high-profile litigation, including defending voting rights against state restrictions and filing environmental lawsuits against corporations for contamination in Houston neighborhoods. He challenged Texas officials over voting restrictions passed in 2021 and defended the counting of ballots cast during extended polling hours in Harris County during the 2022 election, with the Texas Supreme Court ultimately siding with Harris County. He also filed lawsuits against Governor Greg Abbott over mask and vaccine mandate bans and worked on environmental cases, including against Union Pacific for creosote contamination in Houston's Fifth Ward.

Menefee's election to Congress narrowed the Republican majority in the House, which stood at 218-214 after his swearing-in. He won the special election runoff with approximately 68 percent of the vote against fellow Democrat Amanda Edwards. His current term runs through January 2027, after which he will face another election in March 2026 for a full two-year term in a newly redrawn district that includes portions of the former 9th District.