Who will win the Special Election for TX-18 Race

Amanda Edwards

Democrat

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Amanda Kay Edwards is an American attorney and former Houston City Council at-large member (Position 4), serving from 2016 to 2020. She ran for the U.S. Senate in Texas in 2020 and later ran for Texas’s 18th Congressional District, including the 2025–26 special election cycle. She is a Houston native and has worked in public finance law and community nonprofit efforts.

Isaiah Martin

Democrat

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Isaiah Ronnie Martin is a Houston-based Democratic political advisor and candidate for the U.S. House in Texas’s 18th Congressional District. He has been described as a former senior advisor to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and has run multiple campaigns connected to TX-18. He is a University of Houston graduate and has also worked as a consultant in government contracting/proposal work.

Christian Menefee

Democrat Incumbent

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Christian Dashaun Menefee is an American attorney and Democratic politician from Houston, Texas. He served as Harris County Attorney from January 2021 to January 2026 and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas’s 18th Congressional District, sworn in on February 2, 2026. His education includes the University of Texas at San Antonio and Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, and he previously worked as an attorney in private practice.

Carmen Maria Montiel

Republican

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Carmen María Montiel Ávila is a Venezuelan-American journalist and real estate broker based in Houston, Texas. She earned a B.A. in Broadcasting and Spanish from East Tennessee State University in 1991 and previously worked as a television news anchor and reporter in Houston. A former Miss Venezuela (1984), she later became active in Republican politics and has run for U.S. Congress in Texas, including TX-18.

George Foreman IV

Independent

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George Edward Foreman IV is an educator, pastor, and financial services professional based in the Houston area. He has run for the U.S. House in Texas’s 18th Congressional District and has operated a principal campaign committee with the FEC. He is the son of former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman and has worked on education and workforce initiatives in Houston.

Jolanda Jones

Democrat Incumbent

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Jolanda Felicia Jones is an American attorney and Democratic politician from Houston, Texas. She has served in the Texas House of Representatives for District 147 since 2022, and previously served on Houston City Council and the Houston ISD board of trustees. Jones is also known for her track and field career as a heptathlete and for appearing on the CBS reality series Survivor: Palau.