A month after U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner’s death, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott finally issued a proclamation announcing Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025 as the special election date to fill the 18th Congressional District seat.
The announcement comes days after Abbott explained why he has delayed calling for a special election in Harris County, calling the county “a repeat failure as it concerns operating an election.”
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“No county in Texas does a worse job of conducting elections than Harris County,” Abbott said. “They repeatedly fail to conduct elections consistent with state law. Safe and secure elections are critical to the foundation of our state. Forcing Harris County to rush this special election on weeks’ notice would harm the interests of voters. The appropriate time to hold this election is November, which will give Harris County sufficient time to prepare for such an important election.”
The Texas Governor has the sole authority to call a special election to fill Turner’s seat for the rest of the two-year term. State law does not specify a deadline for the governor to order a special election. If called, the election must happen within two months of the announcement.
Since Turner’s passing, the race has heated up with several Democrat leaders running to replace the late rep and former Houston mayor.
Among the lineup include Jackson-Lee’s former senior advisor Isaiah Martin and former Houston City Councilmember Amanda Edwards and Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee.
LIST: Who’s running for 18th congressional district?
Candidates who wish to have their names placed on the special election ballot must file their applications with the Secretary of State no later than 5 p.m. on Sept. 3, 2025.
Menefee, who advocated for a June election and repeatedly criticized Abbott for his handling of this vacancy, gave the following statement Monday:
“It is unconscionable to leave nearly 800,000 people in this district without representation in Congress for most of the year,” Menefee said. “We’ll go through hurricane season, budget battles, and attacks on Social Security and Medicaid with no one at the table fighting for us. Governor Abbott knows how to move quickly—he’s done it for other districts. He just chose not to for us.”
Early voting will begin Monday, Oct. 20, 2025.