The district has been a Democratic stronghold, held for decades by Sheila Jackson Lee and most recently by former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who died March 5.

Menefee said, under the Texas Constitution, he will continue to serve as acting county attorney until Harris County Commissioners Court votes on his successor.

Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee files to run for Sylvester Turner's seat in Congress. Erica Lee Carter, former Congresswoman and daughter of the late Sheila Jackson Lee, endorsed Menefee in a social media post.