Before I Let Go: The CD-18 Race That Never Ends

By Durrel Douglas
Forward Times
https://www.forwardtimes.com/

It was just a few weeks ago that candidates Zoe Cadore, Amanda Edwards, Christian Menefee, Isaiah Martin, and Robert Slater stood on stage at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church for the CD-18 debate hosted by the Harris County Democratic Party. The first serious debate of the race was put together by Chairwoman Melanie Miles-Bazil, and provided the first opportunity for a televised debate in the race to replace the late Congressman Sylvester Turner, who passed away in March of this year.

Today, the field already looks different. Zoe Cadore’s out, and Robert Slater’s packed his bags for CD-29 after redistricting shifted much of North Houston into that district. That’s two of the five that were on stage now out of the race. It’s like we’re watching Flavor of Love, and there aren’t enough clocks for everyone.

This is grown-folk musical chairs. DJ, cue “Before I Let Go” by Frankie Beverly and Maze, because that’s exactly what we’re watching with these seats. Oh, and please don’t cue any songs by Al Green just yet—more on that later.

Politics in Houston’s CD-18 isn’t just a dance; it’s a blood sport. This is a high-stakes game where timing, money, and maps crash into each other, and somebody’s political career dies in the wreckage.

Filing Fees: Separating the Players from the Pretenders

Here’s where the fantasy meets the pavement: announcing you’re running versus actually running are two completely different beasts. That $3,000+ filing fee. No, the Secretary of State will not let you get on the ballot with a payment arrangement or layaway. If you don’t have it, you’re not on the ballot. Period.

Anyone can post a glossy campaign photo on Instagram and call themselves a candidate. Half of Houston probably thinks they could do the job better than whoever’s in there now. But cutting a check for three grand, building a real campaign, proving you can convince people to open their wallets for you? That’s when you find out who’s really built for this game.

I’d also assume this was a wakeup call for many candidates who overestimated their influence based on proximity to power. Just because you have phone numbers doesn’t mean people will answer when you call.

That’s why we’re watching folks disappear faster than free plates at a church dinner. The music stopped, and some people realized they weren’t just unprepared—they were completely outgunned.

It’s A Marathon

Here’s what we’re looking at, in my opinion:

• November 4, 2025: Special election to fill the late Congressman Sylvester Turner’s vacant seat. With this long list of candidates? Nobody’s hitting 50 percent. We’re definitely going to a runoff.
• December 2025: Runoff election between the last two standing. Whoever survives gets maybe a few weeks to lick their wounds.
• March 2026: Primary election under completely redrawn district lines, courtesy of our Republican friends in Austin who love playing with maps.

Three elections in less than six months. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. Like surviving musical chairs at the cookout, only to find out they switched the song, changed half the dancers, and moved the party to a different house entirely.

Redistricting: The Ultimate Power Move

Republicans in Austin have shuffled Houston neighborhoods like they’re dealing cards, and they’re not dealing them fairly.

Acres Homes and chunks of North Houston? Moved to CD-29. Third Ward and Sunnyside? Pulled into the mix. The district looks different because they want it to vote differently.

This is exactly why Congressman Al Green’s name keeps popping up in every political conversation lately. He represents CD-9 now, but under these new maps, chunks of his current district slide right into the newly drawn CD-18.

If he decides to jump in, this whole race changes overnight, and he’s already mentioned if he were to run in 2026, it would be in CD-18.

Al Green isn’t just another candidate; he’s the well-known and well-respected statesman with decades of political muscle and a Rolodex that could fund a small country. Unlike some fresh faces still figuring out how to work a crowd, Green knows everyone, and they know him.

The Survivors Still Throwing Punches

Even with all this chaos, four candidates are still standing and swinging:

• Christian Menefee: Raised over $200,000 on day one, which means he’s got serious juice. He’s selling himself as the fresh face with momentum. His endorsement list looked like the old Southwestern Bell White Pages. Everyone, their momma, and their auntie was on the list.
• Amanda Edwards: Former City Council member with the kind of deep donor connections that don’t happen by accident. She knows how the machine works because she helped build parts of it. That’s either comforting or terrifying, depending on how you feel about political insiders.
• Jolanda Jones: Houston politics veteran who’s never met a fight she wouldn’t pick. Love her or hate her, she’s got name recognition and zero interest in playing nice. In a race this messy, that might be exactly what wins.
• Isaiah Martin: The youngest candidate, running as the bold next-generation choice. Very disciplined when explaining his positions and owning the conversation online. With a long enough onramp, he could end up in the runoff.

Add in wildcards like George Foreman IV, and this field isn’t just crowded—it’s a straight-up brawl. Everyone’s throwing elbows, but only two make it out alive.

What Voters Are Really Dealing With

Think about what we’re asking regular people to do here. Show up in November. Show up again in December or January for a runoff with two completely exhausted candidates. Then show up again in March for a primary in a district that might not even include their neighborhood anymore.

We. Are. Tired.

It’s like asking someone to follow the Electric Slide while the DJ keeps switching songs mid-dance.

Regular folks who work two jobs and worry about rent aren’t political junkies. They’re going to be lost, frustrated, and probably just stop showing up. Which, let’s be honest, might be exactly what some people are counting on. Lower turnout means the people with the most organized ground games win. And guess who usually has the most organized ground games? The candidates with the most money and the deepest political connections.

Funny how that works out.

The Legacy That’s Up for Grabs

CD-18 isn’t just another House seat; it’s political royalty. Barbara Jordan blazed trails here. Mickey Leland fought for the forgotten. Sheila Jackson Lee turned it into a national platform for justice and activism. This seat has been a voice that mattered, a platform that carried real weight in Washington.

Whoever crawls out of this political cage match inherits all of that history and faces the immediate test of proving they can handle it without embarrassing themselves or their constituents.

And let’s keep it 100—it won’t be easy. You need money, but not just any money. You need the right money from the right people who won’t expect you to sell your soul in return. You need organization, but organization that actually turns out voters instead of just looking good on paper. You need stamina to keep fighting when everyone else is running on fumes and bad coffee.

If you want to win here, a recognizable name isn’t enough. You need a ground game that can survive three elections, a message that actually resonates with people’s real problems, and the political backbone to keep dancing when the DJ switches songs without warning—because they will.

The Bottom Line

So yeah, laugh at the shuffle if you want. Picture politicians circling chairs while Frankie Beverly plays in the background. But don’t kid yourself about what’s really happening here.

This isn’t just democracy in action; it’s a stress test designed to see who wants it most, who can afford to stay in the longest, and who’s connected enough to survive when the game changes every few months.

Houston voters aren’t just picking a representative once. They’re being asked to pick again, and again, and maybe again after that. The only guarantee is that the rules will keep changing, the map will keep shifting, and somebody’s going to walk away with a lot of power while everyone else is left wondering what the hell just happened.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Early voting in Harris County starts October 20, 2025. Visit Texas Voter Registration to check your voter registration status and Texas Legislature Maps to see who represents you and which Congressional District you belong to.