Texas activist Democrat Al Green loses Texas runoff after redistricting
Green was defeated Tuesday in a Houston-area runoff by fellow Democrat Rep. Christian Menefee.
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Green was defeated Tuesday in a Houston-area runoff by fellow Democrat Rep. Christian Menefee.
Rep. Al Green, the activist Texas Democrat best known for repeated efforts to impeach President Donald Trump and frequent outbursts during State of the Union addresses, was defeated Tuesday in a Houston-area runoff by fellow Democrat Rep. Christian Menefee. The race came after redistricting forced the two incumbents into the same solidly Democratic 18th Congressional District.
Green had long positioned himself as one of Trump’s most aggressive opponents in Congress, repeatedly pursuing impeachment efforts and protesting during Trump’s addresses to Congress. After being removed from one of Trump’s speeches, Green said he would “do it again,” adding, “You have to confront him face-to-face.”
Menefee narrowly led Green in the March primary, taking 46 percent to Green’s 44.2 percent, sending the race to a runoff under Texas election rules. Green blamed outside spending from the crypto industry for tightening the contest, claiming $1.5 million had been spent against him.
According to Fox News, Menefee campaigned as a younger Democratic voice ready to take on Trump and Republicans.
“A former commercial litigation lawyer from a military family, Mr. Menefee had been mentioned as a potential statewide candidate. His decision to run for Congress instead underscored what many Democrats have acknowledged: that the prospects for breaking the Republican hold on state politics in Texas appeared dim for Democrats in the short term,” Menefee said in a post to his website last March. Menefee will face Republican Ronald Whitfield in November.
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