Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), an 11-term congressman known for repeatedly pushing to impeach President Donald Trump and being removed from multiple State of the Union addresses, is headed to a runoff election after failing to secure a majority in his Democratic primary, according to Tuesday night’s results.
Green, who has represented Texas’ 9th Congressional District in the Houston area since 2005, entered the race for the 18th Congressional District following a Republican-led redistricting effort in Austin that reshaped the state’s 38 congressional districts.
He faced newly sworn-in Rep. Christian Menefee (D) in a closely watched primary race.
Menefee received 46% of the vote compared to Green’s 44.2%, but neither candidate reached the 50% threshold needed to win the primary outright, leading to a runoff election.
The Texas Democrat has been removed from the House chamber during two separate State of the Union addresses over the past two years, drawing criticism from both sides of the aisle.
In 2025, Green was escorted out of the chamber after interrupting President Trump’s speech while waving his cane and shouting objections from the House floor.
The incident resurfaced in recent discussions after Green was again ejected during President Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address last month.
During that speech, Green held up a sign reading “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES!” while protesting an infamous AI-generated video President Trump previously shared on Truth Social that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
A Polarizing Figure in Congress
Green has long been one of Trump’s most outspoken critics in Congress. He first introduced articles of impeachment against the president in 2017, years before the House ultimately impeached Trump twice.
Since then, he has repeatedly tried to start new impeachment efforts, arguing Trump threatens democratic institutions.
Those actions have earned him praise from progressive activists but also made him a magnet for criticism.
Primary Race Tightens
Despite his long tenure and name recognition in Houston, Green did not secure enough votes to avoid a runoff or even finish first, indicating dissatisfaction among many voters, especially younger Democrats eager for new leadership.
Texas law states that candidates in party primaries must get more than 50% of the vote to win outright. If neither candidate reaches this, the top two move on to a runoff election.
The runoff will decide if Green wins the Democratic nomination to run for another term in Congress.
What Comes Next
Texas’s 9th District is regarded as a heavily Democratic seat, so the winner of the Democratic primary runoff is expected to prevail in the general election.
The runoff election scheduled for May 26 will choose the Democratic nominee for the seat before the November general election.
For Green, the race represents both a challenge to his long-standing tenure and an opportunity for a new chapter in Houston’s federal representation.
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