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Amanda Edwards
Amanda Edwards (Democratic Party) is running in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 18th Congressional District. She is on the ballot in the special general runoff election on January 31, 2026. She advanced from the special general election on November 4, 2025.
Edwards is also running for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 18th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on March 3, 2026.[source]
Edwards was a member of the Houston City Council in Texas, representing At-large Position 4. She assumed office on January 2, 2016. She left office on January 2, 2020.
Biography
Born in Houston, Edwards graduated from Eisenhower High School. She went on to earn an undergraduate degree in political science from Atlanta's Emory University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.[1]
Edwards is an attorney. Her professional experience includes the following:
- 2012-Present: Attorney, Bracewell LLP
- 2008-2012: Attorney, Vinson and Elkins
- 2007-2008: Judicial law clerk, U.S. Federal District Court
- 2006: Summer associate, Arnold and Porter
- 2003-2004: College council president, Emory University[2]
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the January 31, 2026 runoff election as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Christian Menefee (D) and Amanda Edwards (D) are the candidates in the runoff general election for Texas' 18th Congressional District on January 31, 2026.
Menefee and Edwards advanced to the runoff after no candidate received an outright majority in the special election on November 4, 2025. In that election, Menefee received 28.9% of the vote, and Edwards received 25.6%. Candidates from all parties ran in the November 4 election.
The winner of this election will be the fourth person to represent the district since 2024 and will serve the remainder of former Rep. Sylvester Turner's (D) term through January 2027. Turner died on March 5, 2025.[3]
Former Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D) represented the district from 1995 until she died in July 2024.[4] On November 5, 2024, Erica Lee Carter (D) won the special election to fill the vacancy, and Sylvester Turner (D) won the general election. Carter represented the district from November 12, 2024, to January 3, 2025, when Turner assumed office.
Menefee was elected Harris County Attorney in 2020. Menefee's campaign website says that he "has been engaged in the national legal fight against Trump—challenging his administration’s efforts to cut funding for life-saving medical research and deny birthright citizenship to immigrant families" and that he is running because "Trump and his allies are making life harder for everyday Americans—rolling back voting rights, attacking reproductive freedom, and rigging the economy for billionaires."[5] Former U.S. Rep. Erica Lee Carter (D), U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), U.S. Rep. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (D-Texas), former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), and former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) endorsed Menefee.[6]
Edwards is an attorney, nonprofit founder, and former intern for Jackson Lee.[7] Edwards was elected at large to the Houston City Council in 2015 and was a member of the council from 2016 to 2020. Edwards' campaign website says she is "laser-focused on delivering transformative results for the community, from lowering the price of groceries, building better schools, roads, and homes, protecting our healthcare and social security, and standing up to the Trump administration."[8] U.S. Reps. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.) and Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.) endorsed Edwards.[9]
Here's where the candidates' fundraising totals stand through October 15, 2025:
- Menefee raised $1.5 million and spent $1.1 million.
- Edwards raised $1.3 million and spent $936,000.
In August 2025, the Texas Legislature voted to redraw the boundaries of all 38 of the state's congressional districts. Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed the new map into law on August 29, 2025. This election will take place within the boundaries of the old district. On December 4, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Texas could use the redrawn map in the 2026 elections. Click here to learn more about redistricting in Texas ahead of the 2026 elections.
Menefee completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Click here to read his responses.
Elections
2026
See also: Texas' 18th Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 18
Incumbent Al Green (D), Gretchen Brown (D), Amanda Edwards (D), and Christian Menefee (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 18 on March 3, 2026.
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Sylvester Turner (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 18
Allen Berry (R), Cyrus Sajna (R), Elizabeth Vences (R), and Ronald Whitfield (R) are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 18 on March 3, 2026.
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2025
See also: Texas' 18th Congressional District special election, 2025
General runoff election
Special general runoff election for U.S. House Texas District 18
Amanda Edwards and Christian Menefee are running in the special general runoff election for U.S. House Texas District 18 on January 31, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Amanda Edwards (D) | |
 | Christian Menefee (D) | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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General election
Special general election for U.S. House Texas District 18
The following candidates ran in the special general election for U.S. House Texas District 18 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Christian Menefee (D) | 28.9 | 21,979 |
| ✔ | | Amanda Edwards (D) | 25.6 | 19,440 |
 | Jolanda Jones (D) | 19.1 | 14,524 | |
 | Carmen Montiel (R) | 6.7 | 5,107 | |
 | Isaiah Martin (D) | 5.7 | 4,336 | |
| Ollie Knox (R) | 4.1 | 3,130 | ||
 | Stephen Huey (D) | 1.9 | 1,414 | |
| Ronald Whitfield (R) | 1.5 | 1,174 | ||
 | Carter Page (R) | 1.2 | 943 | |
 | Theodis Daniel (R) | 1.2 | 937 | |
 | Valencia Williams (D) | 1.2 | 915 | |
| George Foreman (Independent) | 1.1 | 827 | ||
| Feldon Bonner II (D) | 0.7 | 553 | ||
 | Vince Duncan (Independent) | 0.5 | 407 | |
| Reyna Anderson (Independent) | 0.3 | 263 | ||
| Tammie Rochester (G) | 0.2 | 135 | ||
| Total votes: 76,084 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Lizette Prestwich (D)
- Jarvis Johnson (D)
- Derrell Turner (Independent)
- Khris Beal (Independent)
- James Joseph (D)
- Zoe Cadore (D)
- Kivan Polimis (D)
- Chance Davis (Independent)
- Corisha Rogers (D)
- Selena Samuel (D)
- Robert Slater (D)
- Ebony Eatmon (D)
- Peter Filler (D)
- T.J. Baker (D)
- Tejas Tuppera (Independent)
- Laverne Crump (D)
- Barry Dewayne Marchant (D)
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
Election campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amanda Edwards | Democratic Party | $1,266,234 | $935,650 | $331,799 | As of October 15, 2025 |
| Christian Menefee | Democratic Party | $1,539,610 | $1,146,989 | $392,621 | As of October 15, 2025 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2025. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[10][11][12]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
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Endorsements
Edwards received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
2024
See also: Texas' 18th Congressional District election, 2024
Texas' 18th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)
Texas' 18th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 18
Sylvester Turner defeated Lana Centonze, Vince Duncan, and Kevin Dural in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 18 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sylvester Turner (D) | 69.4 | 151,834 |
 | Lana Centonze (R) | 30.5 | 66,810 | |
| Vince Duncan (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 62 | |
 | Kevin Dural (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 14 | |
| Total votes: 218,720 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ed Atkinson (Veteran's Party)
- Sheila Jackson Lee (D)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 18
Incumbent Sheila Jackson Lee defeated Amanda Edwards and Robert Slater (Unofficially withdrew) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 18 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sheila Jackson Lee | 60.0 | 23,629 |
| Amanda Edwards | 37.3 | 14,668 | |
 | Robert Slater (Unofficially withdrew) | 2.7 | 1,059 | |
| Total votes: 39,356 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jasmine Blue (D)
- Isaiah Martin (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 18
Lana Centonze defeated Aaron Hermes in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 18 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lana Centonze | 53.3 | 6,202 |
 | Aaron Hermes | 46.7 | 5,438 | |
| Total votes: 11,640 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Edwards in this election.
2020
See also: United States Senate election in Texas, 2020
United States Senate election in Texas, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)
United States Senate election in Texas, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Texas
Incumbent John Cornyn defeated Mary Jennings Hegar, Kerry McKennon, David B. Collins, and Ricardo Turullols-Bonilla in the general election for U.S. Senate Texas on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Cornyn (R) | 53.5 | 5,962,983 |
 | Mary Jennings Hegar (D) | 43.9 | 4,888,764 | |
 | Kerry McKennon (L) | 1.9 | 209,722 | |
 | David B. Collins (G) | 0.7 | 81,893 | |
 | Ricardo Turullols-Bonilla (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 678 | |
| Total votes: 11,144,040 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Arjun Srinivasan (Independent)
- Cedric Jefferson (People Over Politics Party)
- James Brumley (The Human Rights Party)
- Tim Smith (Independent)
Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas
Mary Jennings Hegar defeated Royce West in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate Texas on July 14, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Jennings Hegar | 52.2 | 502,516 |
 | Royce West | 47.8 | 459,457 | |
| Total votes: 961,973 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Jennings Hegar | 22.3 | 417,160 |
| ✔ | | Royce West | 14.7 | 274,074 |
 | Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez | 13.2 | 246,659 | |
 | Annie Garcia | 10.3 | 191,900 | |
| Amanda Edwards | 10.1 | 189,624 | |
 | Chris Bell | 8.5 | 159,751 | |
 | Sema Hernandez | 7.4 | 137,892 | |
 | Michael Cooper | 4.9 | 92,463 | |
 | Victor Harris | 3.2 | 59,710 | |
 | Adrian Ocegueda | 2.2 | 41,566 | |
 | Jack Daniel Foster Jr. | 1.7 | 31,718 | |
 | D.R. Hunter | 1.4 | 26,902 | |
| Total votes: 1,869,419 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John Love III (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas
Incumbent John Cornyn defeated Dwayne Stovall, Mark Yancey, John Castro, and Virgil Bierschwale in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Texas on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Cornyn | 76.0 | 1,470,669 |
 | Dwayne Stovall | 11.9 | 231,104 | |
 | Mark Yancey | 6.5 | 124,864 | |
 | John Castro | 4.5 | 86,916 | |
 | Virgil Bierschwale | 1.1 | 20,494 | |
| Total votes: 1,934,047 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Green convention
Green convention for U.S. Senate Texas
David B. Collins advanced from the Green convention for U.S. Senate Texas on April 18, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | David B. Collins (G) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas
Kerry McKennon advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Texas on August 3, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Kerry McKennon (L) |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
2015
- See also: Houston, Texas municipal elections, 2015
The city of Houston, Texas, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was August 24, 2015.[13] In the race for At-Large Position 4, Roy Morales and Amanda Edwards defeated Larry Blackmon, Jonathan Hansen, Matt Murphy, Laurie Robinson and Evelyn Husband Thompson in the general election. Edwards defeated Morales in the runoff election on December 12, 2015.[14][15]
Amanda Edwards defeated Roy Morales in the runoff election.
| Houston City Council At-large Position 4, Runoff election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Amanda Edwards |
61.5% | 106,126 |
| Roy Morales | 38.5% | 66,372 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting) | 172,498 | |
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Runoff Election Results," December 12, 2015 | ||
| Houston City Council At-large Position 4, General election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Amanda Edwards |
34.9% | 67,261 |
| Roy Morales |
16.9% | 32,563 |
| Laurie Robinson | 16.4% | 31,628 |
| Evelyn Husband Thompson | 13.4% | 25,880 |
| Matt Murphy | 9.2% | 17,722 |
| Larry Blackmon | 5.8% | 11,101 |
| Jonathan Hansen | 3.3% | 6,444 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting) | 192,599 | |
| Source: Harris County Texas, "Official general election results," accessed November 16, 2015 | ||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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2025
Amanda Edwards has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Amanda Edwards asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Amanda Edwards, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
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You can ask Amanda Edwards to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing info@edwardsforhouston.com.
Campaign ads
View more ads here:
2024
Amanda Edwards did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Edwards’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
A Thriving 18th Congressional District As a member of Congress, Amanda will:
A Healthy 18th Congressional District As a member of Congress, Amanda will:
A Resilient 18th Congressional District As a member of Congress, Amanda will:
An Equitable 18th Congressional District As a Member of Congress, Amanda will:
A Safe 18th Congressional District As a Member of Congress, Amanda will:
|
” |
| —Amanda Edwards’s campaign website (2024)[17] | ||
2020
Amanda Edwards did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2015
The following excerpts highlight Edwards' campaign themes as listed on her website:[18]
Improving infrastructure and transportation
| “ | Our city's aging infrastructure and worsening traffic present major problems for Houstonians on a daily basis. We must do better. That means:
|
” |
Strengthening our economy and fiscal health
| “ | Houston's economy has rebounded well from the economic downturn, but many Houstonians are still struggling. We can do more to expand opportunity, including:
|
” |
Protecting public safety
| “ | There is no greater priority than keeping our neighborhoods safe. On City Council, I will support:
|
” |
Enhancing quality of life
| “ | Houston is a great place to live, and we can make it even more livable for all Houstonians. That means:
|
” |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. House Texas District 18 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Official campaign website of Amanda Edwards, "Meet Amanda," accessed September 16, 2015
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Amanda Edwards," accessed September 16, 2015
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Houston Chronicle, "Sylvester Turner, former Houston mayor, dies at 69," March 5, 2025
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "JACKSON LEE, Sheila," accessed October 25, 2025
- ↑ Christian Menefee 2025 campaign finance, "About," accessed October 9, 2025
- ↑ Christian Menefee 2025 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2025
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Amanda Edwards," accessed October 8, 2025
- ↑ Amanda Edwards 2025 campaign website, "Home," accessed October 9, 2025
- ↑ Amanda Edwards 2025 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2025
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ Harris County, "Important 2015 Election Dates," accessed January 12, 2015
- ↑ City of Houston website, "November 3, 2015 General Election Candidates," accessed August 27, 2015
- ↑ Harris County Texas, "Unofficial general election results," accessed November 3, 2015
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Amanda Edwards for Congress, “Policy,” accessed January 19, 2024
- ↑ Official campaign website of Amanda Edwards, "Priorities," accessed September 16, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by C.O. "Brad" Bradford |
Houston City Council, At-large Position 4 2016–2020 |
Succeeded by Letitia Plummer |
