Texas Gov. sets 2026 House seat runoff, extending Democratic vacancy

Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY

Updated Mon, November 17, 2025 at 9:22 PM UTC

2 min read

House Democrats eager to buttress their minority ranks must wait more than 10 weeks for a traditionally blue seat in a Texas congressional district to be filled, thanks to the state's Republican governor, who set a runoff election for next year.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he has set the runoff election for the state's 18th Congressional district for Jan. 31, in the wake of the Nov. 4 election, which resulted in no candidate winning the majority of the vote. It's only the latest delay in filling the vacancy for a seat representing much of Houston, the state's most populous city.

Election results: Democrats heading to a runoff in Texas' 18th Congressional district

Construction work has been stopped on President Trump's White House Ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC. A federal judge has temporarily blocked construction of the new ballroom "unless and until Congress blesses this project."

A deep hole is visible as construction work has been ordered halted on President Trump's White House Ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC. A federal judge has temporarily blocked construction of the new ballroom "unless and until Congress blesses this project."

Construction equipment and supplies are visible along Pennsylvania Avenue as construction work has been stopped on President Trump's White House Ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC. A federal judge has temporarily blocked construction of the new ballroom "unless and until Congress blesses this project."

Seen from the Washington Monument on Nov. 14, 2025, in Washington, DC, construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for the new ballroom construction.

Construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for the new ballroom construction as seen from the newly reopened Washington Monument on Nov. 14, 2025 in Washington, DC.

An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a multimillion-dollar ballroom on the eastern side of the White House.

An aerial view shows the Demolition of the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom will be built, in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 23, 2025, in this picture obtained from social media.

A golfer tees off as a truck exits a makeshift dump site after dropping soil and debris from the East Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on Oct. 23, 2025.

A construction worker walks through a makeshift dumpsite where soil and debris from the East Wing of the White House are being discarded following U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom, which is being constructed, at the East Potomac Golf Course in Washington on Oct. 23, 2025.

The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on Oct. 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House.

Heavy machinery tears down a section of the East Wing of the White House as construction begins on President Donald Trump's planned ballroom, in Washington, DC, on Oct. 22, 2025.

A truck drives out of the White House as work continues to tear down a section of the East Wing of the White House to begin construction of President Donald Trump's planned ballroom, in Washington, DC, on Oct. 22, 2025. US President Donald Trump held a glitzy dinner October 15, 2025 to thank billionaires and top companies for donating to the new $250 million ballroom he is building at the White House. The guests included representatives from tech firms like Amazon, Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft and Palantir and defense giant Lockheed Martin, according to US media citing a White House guest list.

Ongoing construction on the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed ballroom is being built, in Washington, D.C., October 20, 2025.

Workers demolish the facade of the East Wing of the White House on October 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House.

The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, DC. The construction is part of President Donald Trump's plan to build a $250 million ballroom.

White House East Wing demolished to clear the way for Trump's ballroom: Photos

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Construction work has been stopped on President Trump's White House Ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC. A federal judge has temporarily blocked construction of the new ballroom "unless and until Congress blesses this project."

The district has been without a representative for more than eight months, since Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner died in March, and Abbott slow-walked the special election. The seat had been vacant for several months following the July 2024 death of the district's longtime Democratic representative, Sheila Jackson Lee , before Turner had stepped in January.

Voters will choose between the Nov. 4 election's two Democratic finalists to serve out the remainder of Turner's term in 2026: Acting Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards

Texas 18th congressional district candidates Christian Menefee, left, and Amanda Edwards.

The Republican governor's Nov. 17 proclamation says early voting will be from Wednesday, Jan. 21 through Tuesday, Jan. 27, and day-of voting is set for Saturday, Jan. 31. By that time, the seat will have been empty for more than 330 days.

Only a few months after that vote, polls will reopen again for the 2026 primary season − when many voters in the district will face a drastically reworked congressional map following Texas' controversial redistricting. In other words, the district that Jackson Lee, Turner and the representative voted into office in January will represent, will no longer exist for voters in the 2026 primary.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @ KathrynPlmr .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas congressional runoff set for 2026, extending Democratic vacancy

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