Justin Doud/Houston Public Media
Then-Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee speaks at a campaign event for fellow Democrat Colin Allred in Houston in July 2025.
U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee said he is focused on his new role as a member of Congress — and has not “even thought about the campaign” to continue serving the 18th Congressional District.
Menefee was elected Saturday and sworn in Monday, giving the Houston congressional district representation in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in more than 330 days, following the March death of U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner.
Menefee will serve for at least the remainder of the year, completing the unexpired term vacated by Turner. Another election in November will determine the district’s representative for 2027 and 2028. Menefee will seek the Democratic nomination, though he faces a formidable challenger in the March primary in U.S. Rep. Al Green, the longtime representative for the 9th Congressional District whose home was drawn into the 18th District over the summer as part of a mid-decade redistricting led by Texas Republicans.
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In an interview Tuesday with Houston Public Media, Menefee said he was not concerned that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo had endorsed Green for the Democratic nomination in the 18th District.
“The endorsement I’m most interested in are the people who live in the 18th Congressional district, the voters,” he said.
Menefee, who previously served as Harris County attorney, also spoke about immigration policy, his vote on government funding, and how he sees his role in Congress over the next several months.
Here’s a transcript of the interview. It’s been lightly edited for length and clarity:
Houston Public Media: What do you make of how the last few days have felt for you?
Christian Menefee: It’s all been very surreal. In a district that had giants like Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, Craig Washington, Sheila Jackson Lee, Sylvester [Turner], Erica [Lee Carter], these giants in public service, to be able to step into the role that they once held has just been surreal. It’s been mind-blowing. And frankly, I still feel like it hasn’t hit me yet, but I’ve just been happy to get to work as quick as possible for the people in the district.
HPM: You talk about it not hitting you yet. Do you have a bit of imposter syndrome when you list those names of predecessors?
Menefee: No. I have a great respect for them and respect for their work. But I know who I am. I know what I’ve gotten done for people as county attorney. And I have no doubt that I am up to this job, and then I’m going to do a good job for people, and then I’m going to work hard to make life better for the people in the district. So, no imposter syndrome. But I understand that there are big shoes to fill, and I’m confident that we’re going to get it done.
HPM: When you spoke to the House yesterday, you spoke about the more than 330 days that your now-constituents have not had representation. What does it mean for you to be that voice for them now in Congress?
Menefee: It means the world to me. It is probably the most important job I’ll do in my life. And I understand that it’s not about me; it’s about folks from so many communities across our district who may have had issues with Social Security, with Medicaid, and didn’t have a congressional office to help them navigate that. It’s about the folks in our district who are immigrants, who have seen [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] terrorize people in our communities and didn’t know if they were going to have a vote on [Department of Homeland Security] funding. Those are the folks who I’m doing this for. And to me, I understand the importance of the moment, and I’m going to do everything I can to represent those folks well and make them proud.
HPM: You mentioned the vote for DHS funding. You’ve already taken a key vote when it comes to funding the government partially. Explain your vote to me, and just tell me why on Day 1 you’ve already made that decision.
Menefee: This is simple. If ICE is terrorizing communities and executing people on the streets, they should not be receiving more funding. I believe that we should be stripping ICE down to the studs, and what Republicans are trying to do is simply hand them a blank check without any reforms, without any changes, without doing anything that’s going to make sure that our communities do not continue to be terrorized. I am more than confident that that is not what the people of the 18th Congressional District of Texas sent me to Congress to do. And so I was happy to cast a “no” vote to make sure that we don’t keep funding an agency that has been radicalized by the president and that is terrorizing our communities.
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HPM: On the immigration front, what would you say the constituents of the 18th Congressional District sent you to do?
Menefee: We need wholesale immigration reform in this country. You can’t just address enforcement. We all know that ICE is wrong for this country. I believe that it needs to be fully disbanded, and we need to try to go back to the days of immigration enforcement, where it wasn’t focused on brutalizing people. But we should be having conversations about comprehensive immigration reform, which means addressing our asylum processes; it means addressing our visa system; it means fully funding our immigration processes so that people aren’t waiting decades in order to find out whether they’re going to be able to be a citizen or not. I think that the conversation has to be one conversation with all those components, and that’s not happening right now. And I would be more than willing to sit down with members of Congress from any party and talk about how we can fix our broken immigration system.
HPM: Do you support the calls from Democrats for impeaching [DHS Secretary] Kristi Noem?
Menefee: Yes, 100%. I called on Congress to impeach Kristi Noem when I was running, and I had that same position today. I was proud to stand at a press conference today with many members of the Democratic Party here in Congress and support calls for impeachment of Kristi Noem, if she won’t resign. But she needs to go. She’s incompetent. Look at how she’s run this agency: people being killed on the streets, kids being kidnapped, in order to try to use them as bait to harm folks in our communities. I think she needs to go. So, whether that’s a resignation, whether that’s getting fired by the president, whether it’s impeachment, she needs to go.
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HPM: I’m curious how you see your role in the Congress. Obviously, you’d like to be there longer than just, you know, the next 10 months, but it’s possible that you are just a congressman for those 10 months. How do you see the role that you have in the Democratic Party when it comes to the U.S. House of Representatives?
Menefee: My goal is to be a voice; is to be someone who can move bills; is to be someone who is taken seriously in the building by both Democrats and Republicans; and to be someone who’s on the front lines of holding the president accountable. When I took over the county attorney’s office, I was 32 years old, and I was in charge of an office of 300 people, many of whom had been practicing law longer than I had been alive. But I figured that out, and so I have no doubt that I can figure this building out as well.
AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., left, holds a ceremonial swearing-in for Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, right, as his wife Kaitlyn Menefee, center, holds the Bible, at the Capitol, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
HPM: You talk about your youth. You do have still quite a career ahead of you. Aside from the congressional race that you have coming up, where do you see yourself in the future?
Menefee: I just got to Congress a couple of days ago, to be honest with you. I see myself trying to figure out how to be a good member of Congress, and I can’t think about anything past that. I have been drinking from a fire hydrant from the moment that I was told to come up to Washington because I might get sworn in. And so, my goal is to become an expert at this job. And at a day-and-a-half in, I am nowhere near there. And so that’s the only thing I’m thinking about: that, and how to be the best representative possible for the people of the district.”
HPM: When you were on the House floor just after you had been sworn in, you embraced Congressman Al Green, who is an opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary. What did it mean to you to have him be there in support of you in that moment?
Menefee: The entire Texas delegation was up there standing by my side, and I was very proud to have them standing around me. I think it showed great solidarity that all the members were supportive of the 334 delay [sic] finally ending, and people finally getting representation. So, there’s some good members here. I’m meeting some good folks. I’m looking forward to getting to work.
HPM: When it comes to Congressman Green, specifically, you, I’m sure, have seen that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has endorsed him. We actually just here at Houston Public Media finished speaking with her, and she says, “I can understand why it’s confusing. That was the plan all along,” talking about her endorsement of Green. What’s your response to that?
Menefee: I’m working hard to do the business of the people in Congress, and frankly, I haven’t even thought about the campaign. But I’ll tell you what, people know my record, and they know what I bring to the table, and they know how I will serve the folks in the 18th Congressional District. So, I’m not concerned about any endorsements. I’m just working hard to serve the people, and they’ll make the decision at the ballot box. The endorsement I’m most interested in are the people who live in the 18th Congressional District, the voters.
HPM: And on that note, you’re in Washington, but the primary election is just about a month away here in Texas. What does the next month look like for you when it comes to campaigning?
Menefee: It looks like doing my duty in Washington D.C. so that I don’t miss a single vote; and spending every single moment of my time not here for a vote in the [18th] district talking to people about the good work that we’re working to get done now, and that we will do for the new 18th Congressional District.
HPM: Would you characterize it as a challenge to be both a Congress person for all of a month and have to campaign for the primary election?
Menefee: Definitely. But I think that folks across Houston know about my candidacy. They know about my campaign. They know about my work as county attorney. And I think folks across our communities — both in the old district and the new one — are proud and are excited for the future. So, I think campaigning is going to be seamless for us, and I look forward to doing it.