HOUSTON \u2013 Sixteen people are vying to fill Houston\u2019s 18th Congressional District seat, a position left vacant after the passing of Sylvester Turner in March.<\/p>\n
All this week, KPRC 2 is introducing you to the top candidates hoping to serve out the remainder of Turner\u2019s term. To keep things fair, we literally pulled names from a mug to decide who we feature each day.<\/p>\n
Isaiah Martin is the youngest candidate in the race, he says it\u2019s time for a fresh approach in Washington, D.C. representing the 18th District.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, look, the same old same old is not working,\u201d Martin said when asked why he\u2019s running. \u201cI mean, we see Congress is not working the way it is. We\u2019ve got a crazy president that\u2019s doing everything he can to destroy our way of life. I think we\u2019ve got to go and stop a lot of the politics as usual that we\u2019ve been seeing currently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin is a University of Houston graduate, native Houstonian, and former advisor to the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. <\/p>\n
Isaiah Martin is the youngest candidate in the race, he says it\u2019s time for a fresh approach in Washington, D.C. representing the 18th District. (Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n
This summer Martin was arrested in the Texas State Capitol during redistrict efforts. According to Martin\u2019s social media video, he was forcibly taken to the ground during the incident. Travis County records show Martin faces misdemeanor charges including resisting arrest, criminal trespass, and disrupting a meeting or procession. The charges were later dropped.<\/p>\n
He says this shows he\u2019s the true fighter for the district. The encounter was used in one of his ads along with one where he says elected officials aren\u2019t fighting hard enough. while holding up a skeleton, he says, \u201cthis is a spine. A lot of politicians can\u2019t find theirs right now, when we need it most.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin says too many politicians take voters for granted.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo many of these politicians take people for granted. And what I can firmly say is that I will never take the people of the 18th congressional district for granted. I\u2019m somebody that understands the issues, knows how the federal government works, and somebody that can bring a fresh perspective against a lot of this stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Top Issues: Cost of Living, Health Care, and Federal Funding<\/p>\n
Martin identifies cost of living, health care, and federal funding as the biggest issues facing the district.<\/p>\n
On economic issues, Martin says reducing tariffs and tackling rising grocery prices will be among his first priorities if elected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, look, everybody\u2019s concerned about the cost of living. I mean, frankly, the tariffs have raised the cost of people\u2019s groceries, like, nonstop. They see it all the time. They go and they understand their bills are higher. It\u2019s because of Republican policies, \u201che said. \u201cI want to immediately get to work to file a bill to go and ax the Trump tariffs as we see it, because I think it\u2019s long overdue. People want to be able to investigate the rampant dollars that are being stolen away directly from our district.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also supports efforts to expand health care access and supports \u2018Medicare for all,\u2019 saying the cost of medical care has become a crisis. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are really, really sick by the fact that health care in this country costs as much as it does. We have one of the highest uninsured rates in the entire country. So, I will absolutely support legislation to guarantee universal healthcare for every single person in this county.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin says his time in Congresswoman Jackson Lee\u2019s office gave him firsthand experience in how to deliver resources back home <\/p>\n
\u201cWe need somebody that understands how to get federal funding on day one, right? So, for us, because we haven\u2019t been able to get so many community grant funding requests, because they haven\u2019t had a member of Congress, there\u2019s so many local organizations, non-profits or whatever that have not gotten their federal funding.\u201d<\/p>\n
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