The curtain is closing on Rep. Al Green’s time in Congress.
Mr. Green, one of President Trump’s most vocal critics, lost in a landslide to Rep. Christian Menefee in a rare incumbent showdown resulting from the state’s redrawn congressional districts.
Voters in the Houston-based 18th Congressional District chose generational change over experience, with Mr. Menefee, 38, beating the 78-year-old Mr. Green, well known for waving his cane on Capitol Hill.
It wasn’t close.
With 99% of the vote tallied, Mr. Menefee had captured nearly 70% of the vote.
Tuesday’s primary was the fourth election in seven months in the district, a seat that has seen remarkable turnover.
Mr. Menefee, who previously served as Harris County attorney, won the seat earlier this year in a special election to replace Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died last year.
Mr. Turner’s death came after he succeeded Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died in 2024.
Mr. Green, meanwhile, chose to run in the 18th District after the GOP-controlled Texas Legislature redrew the lines in his old 9th District to make it Republican friendlier and help the party preserve its slim majority in Congress.
Mr. Menefee, in his victory speech, said the only reason he faced off against Mr. Green was that Mr. Trump told Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to “carve up black and brown districts in the state of Texas in order to strip us of our representation.”
He thanked Mr. Green for his service and his “courage to stand up when other people would not stand with you.”
Mr. Menefee added, “To tell the president of the United States to his face that he didn’t have a mandate, that takes courage, that takes conviction, and Congressman Green’s legacy will outlive any election.
“What we learned from this experience is Republicans will stop at nothing to tear our communities apart. They have no problem stripping us of our voice in Congress. Republicans will stop at nothing, but what they underestimate is that our communities are stronger. We are not going to let this election tear us apart. We are going to emerge from this stronger and united.”
Mr. Menefee had the support of Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who lost the Senate primary to state Rep. James Talarico earlier this year, and benefited from spending by outside groups, including the crypto super PAC Protect Progress.
Mr. Green was running for a 12th term. He consistently advocated for impeaching Mr. Trump and was ejected, this year and in 2025, from the House chamber during the president’s speeches to Congress.
In his concession speech, Mr. Green said serving in Congress was a “labor of love,” and he vowed to continue to fight for abortion rights and minority communities.
“This is not the end,” he said. “This is the beginning of a new chapter.”
