Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced she is endorsing U.S. Rep. Al Green in the Democratic primary for Texas’ newly redrawn 18th Congressional District. The endorsement came just two days after Hidalgo supported Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee in the special election runoff for the same seat.
Hidalgo’s statement, shared on Green’s Facebook page, focused on Green’s record securing federal funding tied to flood mitigation and disaster recovery in Harris County. Green, who has represented Houston-area districts in Congress since 2005, is seeking another term under the new district boundaries approved by the legislature last year.
During Saturday’s runoff, Hidalgo publicly backed Menefee and encouraged voters to support his campaign. Menefee went on to win the election and will be sworn in to serve the remainder of the term left vacant following the deaths of former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Early voting for the March primary begins Feb. 17, leaving little time between the runoff and the next election.
The March primary will be the first held under the state’s new congressional map, which was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott last year. That plan was designed to reshape several U.S. House districts across Texas and add more Republican-leaning seats, including changes affecting Houston’s congressional lines. As part of that process, districts that long leaned Democratic were altered, forcing incumbents and challengers alike to decide where to run and how to reach voters in now-different territory. The new boundaries mean candidates must campaign in areas that were not part of the old 18th District and explain the changes to voters who may not recognize their new district yet.
Under those new lines, the 18th Congressional District now includes much of the former 9th District, which Green has represented for nearly two decades. Green filed to run in the new district rather than seek another seat.
Several candidates are already on the ballot. The Democratic primary includes Green, Menefee, former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, and first-time candidate Gretchen Brown. On the Republican side, Elizabeth Vences and Ronald Dwayne Whitfield have filed to run.
Menefee acknowledged on election night that he would have to move quickly from the runoff into another campaign while preparing to take office. While winning the special election gives him incumbency, it also means time split between Washington and campaigning back home.
