The race to fill Texas’ 18th Congressional District seat, long held by the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, reached a pivotal moment as five candidates took the stage at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.
Before a packed audience, Democratic candidates Zoe Cadore, Amanda Edwards, Isaiah Martin, Christian Menefee and Robert Slater made their cases in a spirited debate co-hosted by the Houston Defender and FOX 26 Houston.
About 100 Democratic precinct chairs voted to select five candidates for the debate.
The church itself carried symbolic weight. Wheeler Avenue was founded during the Civil Rights Movement and hosted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when few Houston churches would.
Redistricting and representation
The first round of questions focused on the looming changes from redistricting, which could alter CD-18’s makeup after March 2026.
Martin, the youngest candidate and a former senior adviser to the late Rep. Jackson Lee, stressed grassroots organizing and using social media platforms like TikTok to reach voters…