作者：莫莉·英格兰 | 3小时前 | 发布于 2026年1月31日，美国东部时间凌晨5:00
哈里斯县检察官克里斯蒂安·梅内菲（Christian Menefee）和前休斯顿市议会议员阿曼达·爱德华兹（Amanda Edwards）均为民主党人，他们将晋级周六的决选，以填补美国众议院一个空缺席位。
（图片来源：盖蒂图片社）
周六，选民将在决选中从两名民主党候选人中选出一人，以填补美国众议院的一个空缺席位，这将进一步缩小议长迈克·约翰逊（Mike Johnson）本就岌岌可危的共和党多数优势。
自前众议员西尔维斯特·特纳（Sylvester Turner）于3月去世以来，得克萨斯州第18国会选区一直空缺——在过去18个月中总共已有13个月空缺。该席位将很快由晋级周六决选的两名民主党人之一填补：前哈里斯县检察官克里斯蒂安·梅内菲或前休斯顿市议会议员阿曼达·爱德华兹。
众议院目前的党派构成是218名共和党人对213名民主党人，此前众议员玛乔丽·泰勒·格林（Marjorie Taylor Greene）辞职，道格·拉马尔法（Doug LaMalfa）议员去世。一旦梅内菲或爱德华兹宣誓就职，约翰逊在任何党派线投票中最多只能失去一名共和党议员。
3月将举行填补格林席位的特别选举第一轮投票，4月可能举行决选。新泽西州民主党众议员米基·谢里尔（Mikie Sherrill）当选州长后留下的席位也将在4月举行特别选举。
休斯顿长期存在的政治风波
得克萨斯州历史悠久的第18选区将迎来新代表，这是自2024年7月长期任职的众议员希拉·杰克逊·李（Sheila Jackson Lee）在职去世以来的短暂喘息。特纳当选接替该区下一整届任期，却在众议院任职仅两个多月后去世。此后该席位一直空缺。
重新划分选区也打乱了周六的决选，选民心中的选区界限仍基于旧的选区划分。
（图片来源：埃里克·盖伊/美联社/档案图片）
得克萨斯州州长格雷格·阿博特（Greg Abbott）和州共和党人去年启动了全国性中期重新划分选区工作的第一块多米诺骨牌。
阿博特签署法律，通过新的选区划分图，旨在让共和党在2026年至少多获得5个众议院席位。第18选区被进一步划分为更民主的区域，并吸收了当前第9选区的大部分地区，而第9选区已倾向共和党。
联邦法院随后阻止了得克萨斯州在2026年中期选举中使用新地图，裁定这可能是违宪的政治操纵，但美国最高法院推翻了该决定，使该地图在2026年继续有效。
定于3月3日举行的、从2027年开始的完整两年任期初选将根据新的选区划分图进行。梅内菲和爱德华兹均向美国有线电视新闻网证实，无论周六结果如何，他们都将参加该初选。
梅内菲上周向CNN发表声明称，尽管他“完全致力于”3月的初选，但目前仍专注于“完成周六的竞选”。
“由于特朗普总统和阿博特州长强行通过这些新的国会选区图，我们现在面临罕见情况：特别选举和3月初选的竞选同时进行，”梅内菲说。
爱德华兹在接受美国有线电视新闻网采访时强调：“我们确实将注意力集中在一次竞选一个目标上，而不是在信息传递中试图同时进行两场竞选。”她指出，重新划分选区以及决选和初选的重叠让选民感到困惑。
他们将面临来自长期任职的众议员阿尔·格林（Al Green）的严峻挑战，格林于2004年首次当选国会，并与杰克逊·李共事。根据新地图，格林的住所被划入第18选区而非目前的第9选区，而他已誓言将参加新第18选区的竞选。
A US House special election in Texas is set to narrow the GOP majority even further
By Molly English | 3 hr ago | PUBLISHED Jan 31, 2026, 5:00 AM ET
Harris County attorney Christian Menefee and former Houston city councilmember Amanda Edwards, both Democrats, advanced to Saturday’s runoff election for an empty US House seat.
Getty Images
Voters on Saturday will select one of two Democrats in a runoff election to fill a vacant US House seat, further narrowing Speaker Mike Johnson’s already razor-thin Republican majority.
Texas’ 18th Congressional District has been empty since March following former Rep. Sylvester Turner’s death — and 13 of the last 18 months in total. It will soon be filled by one of two Democrats who advancing to Saturday’s runoff election: former Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee or former Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards.
The current partisan breakdown in the chamber is 218 Republicans to 213 Democrats, following the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and the death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa. Johnson will be able to lose only one Republican on any party-line vote once either Menefee or Edwards is sworn in.
The first round of the special election to replace Greene takes place in March with a potential runoff to follow in April. There’s also an April special election for the New Jersey seat vacated by Democrat Mikie Sherrill after she was elected governor.
A long-running saga in Houston
A new representative in Texas’ storied 18th is a brief respite from a saga that began when longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee died in office in July 2024. Turner, who was elected to serve the next full term in the district, also died in office just over two months into serving in the House. The seat has been vacant since then.
Redistricting has also jumbled Saturday’s runoff election, which will happen under old district lines, in the minds of voters.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to the media in the Senate Chamber at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, on August 22, 2025.
Eric Gay/AP/File
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state Republicans last year kicked off what ended up being the first domino of a nationwide mid-decade redistricting effort.
Abbott signed into law a new map that aimed to give the GOP at least five more House seats in 2026. The 18th District was made even more Democratic and absorbed much of the current 9th District, which became Republican-leaning.
A federal court then blocked Texas from using its new map in the 2026 midterms, ruling that it is likely an unconstitutional gerrymander, but the US Supreme Court overruled that decision, leaving the map in place for 2026.
A primary election for a full two-year term starting in 2027, under new district lines, is slated for March 3. Both Menefee and Edwards confirmed to CNN that they will be running in that primary regardless of Saturday’s results.
In a statement to CNN last week, Menefee said that although he is “fully committed” to March’s primary, he’s focused on “running through the tape” on Saturday.
“Because of the way President Trump and Governor Abbott pushed through these new congressional maps, we’re in a rare situation where campaigning for the special election and the March primary is taking place all at once,” Menefee said.
“We have really focused our attention, not in trying to run a double race in terms of the messaging, but instead one race at a time from a messaging standpoint,” Edwards said in an interview with CNN, emphasizing that redistricting and the overlapping runoff and primary have been points of confusion for voters.
They’ll face a tough challenge from longtime Rep. Al Green, who was first elected to Congress in 2004 and served alongside Jackson Lee. Green’s home has been placed under the new map into the 18th District instead of his current 9th District — and he has vowed to run in the new 18th.
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