TX-18: After Trump's gerrymander and Abbott's scheming, Houston voters face most confusing election of 2026
It’s a strange time to be voting in Houston.
Since Rep. Sylvester Turner (D) died in office this past March, voters in Texas’s 18th district, which covers much of the city and is safely Democratic, haven’t had representation in Congress. They will finally elect a replacement to finish his term during a Jan. 31 runoff.
But that’s far from the end of the story. Just two weeks after the runoff election on Jan. 31, early voting will begin in a primary to fill that exact same seat for the upcoming term. The two elections are bumping up against each other because Gov. Greg Abbott (R) delayed holding the vote for Turner’s replacement as long as he could, in order to deny Democrats a seat in Congress.
And this second election will be held using a new, drastically changed congressional map with different voters and a longtime incumbent from a neighboring district entering the race.
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/after-trumps-gerrymander-and-abbotts-scheming-houston-voters-face-most-confusing-election-of-2026/