Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee has announced his candidacy for the congressional seat previously held by longtime Houston politician Sylvester Turner, who died earlier this month.
Menefee, a Democrat, is known for promoting leftist policies and taking legal actions against both Gov. Greg Abbott’s and President Donald Trump’s administrations.
“[A]s the chief civil lawyer for our largest county, I often use the only arrow in my quiver: lawsuits,” Menefee wrote in a 2022 op-ed opposing state efforts to protect children from castration and experimental surgeries in Texas.
He stated his office would not investigate or refer for prosecution cases of child gender mutilation in Harris County.
After Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion saying that his office considered gender mutilation and chemical castration of Texas children to be child abuse, Menefee wrote that refusal to comply was the best option to hamper state law.
“Our best defense isn’t going to be legal action—it’s going to be a complete refusal to comply. In most Texas counties, after the state investigates parents for child abuse, the local elected attorney handles the legal fight that ensues to restrict the parents’ rights or seek custody of the child,” wrote Menefee.
Menefee has promoted events to educate illegal aliens about their rights if they are contacted by federal immigration authorities. He also joined a lawsuit attempting to stop President Trump’s order blocking citizenship for children of illegal aliens.
Activists argue that automatically granting U.S. citizenship to the children of illegal aliens is a magnet for illegal immigration.
This month, Harris County joined a lawsuit to block President Trump from reducing the federal government’s employee headcount.
“Musk & Trump must be stopped,” Menefee posted on X.
In announcing his campaign to replace Turner, Menefee stated, “I am running to continue serving the people of Harris County and to bring progressive leadership to Congress.”
Texas’ 18th Congressional District was represented by Democrat U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee for nearly 30 years before the seat was held briefly by Turner, who took office in November.
Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet declared a special election to fill the vacant congressional seat.
