Democrat Christian Menefee won a Texas U.S. House seat in a special election Saturday, trimming Republicans’ already narrow majority and delivering a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump.

Menefee, the Harris County attorney, defeated Amanda Edwards, a former Houston City Council member, in a runoff election. He will succeed the late Sylvester Turner, a former Houston mayor who died in March 2025.

The Houston-based district, which strongly favors Democrats, had been without representation for nearly a year. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott scheduled the initial round of voting for November, months after Turner’s death. Menefee and Edwards emerged as the top two candidates in a 16-person, all-party primary, forcing a runoff after no contender secured a majority.

Speaking to supporters at his victory celebration, Menefee pledged to advocate for universal health care, pursue the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, and dismantle ICE.

Menefee also invoked the district’s political legacy, referencing former Rep. Barbara Jordan, who played a prominent role in the impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon.

“The results here tonight are a mandate for me to oppose your agenda, to fight back against where you’re taking this country, and to investigate your crimes,” Menefee said, addressing Trump directly.

Menefee will serve the remainder of Turner’s term, which expires when the next Congress is sworn in January 2027.

Abbott has said election officials needed time to prepare for the special election, but Democrats criticized the delay as a tactic to temporarily bolster the GOP’s House margin during a period of contentious votes.

Edwards, 44, highlighted the prolonged vacancy while campaigning Saturday, saying voters had been left without a voice in Washington. After the results were announced, she told supporters the campaign “was never about winning a particular seat,” but about serving the community.