Rep. Christian Menefee, a Texas Democrat who won a January special election to succeed the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, says he plans to continue efforts to impeach President Donald Trump — a campaign long championed by veteran Rep. Al Green — while arguing he could build broader support for such a move within the Democratic Party.
Menefee made the remarks as he faces Green in a closely watched Democratic primary runoff that has effectively become a contest between an established anti-Trump figure and a younger lawmaker promising a more strategic approach to the same goal.
Green, who has represented Texas in Congress for two decades, has repeatedly introduced articles of impeachment against Trump in recent years, framing the issue as a moral and constitutional test for lawmakers. None of those attempts have succeeded in advancing through the House.
Menefee told Fox News Digital that if elected, he would continue pursuing impeachment but would focus on coordinating with fellow Democrats to ensure any effort has enough backing to move forward.
“I’m the candidate in this race who has a track record of standing up for my community, of fighting back and doing so effectively in a way that gets things done,” Menefee said in an interview.
He added that his approach would prioritize building consensus within the Democratic caucus before formally introducing impeachment articles.
“My approach is going to be, when I file articles of impeachment, my goal is for them to either pass or to get very close to passing,” Menefee said.
“That means collaborating with the other members of the Democratic caucus to make sure that it’s going to be effective. My approach is generally, if I start something, I am doing it because I want to ultimately take it across the finish line in a way that’s going to actually help people.”
The debate over impeachment comes as Menefee and Green compete for the Democratic nomination in Texas’ 18th Congressional District. Menefee entered Congress earlier this year after winning a special election following the death of longtime Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner in March 2025.
The two Democrats were placed on a political collision course after Republican-led redistricting plans in Texas reshaped several congressional districts and threatened multiple Democratic-held seats. Green subsequently announced he would seek reelection in the 18th District — the same seat Menefee now holds.
While Menefee declined to directly criticize Green’s impeachment strategy, he suggested his own approach would focus less on symbolic votes and more on building support within the party.
Green’s most recent impeachment effort, introduced in December 2025, drew support from 140 House Democrats. However, the measure failed to advance after 23 Democrats joined Republicans in voting to table it, while another 47 voted “present.”
Green has long made opposition to Trump a central theme of his congressional career, frequently calling for impeachment and framing the issue as a question of constitutional accountability.
“We have to participate. This is a participatory democracy. The impeachment requires the hands and the guidance of all of us,” Green said in November 2025 while announcing his latest impeachment push.
The congressman has also drawn national attention during presidential addresses to Congress. In 2026 he was removed from President Trump’s State of the Union address after displaying a sign that read, “Black people aren’t apes.” The year before, during the 2025 State of the Union, Green was escorted out after refusing to take his seat while waving his cane toward the president in protest.
Despite their shared opposition to Trump, Menefee has attempted to distinguish himself by emphasizing unity within the Democratic caucus and a pragmatic legislative strategy rather than what some critics have described as Green’s more confrontational style.
Neither candidate secured a majority in the district’s Democratic primary earlier this month, forcing the race into a runoff election scheduled for May 26. The outcome will determine which Democrat advances to represent one of Houston’s most prominent Democratic strongholds in Congress — and which approach to confronting Trump voters in the district prefer.
